


Truth and Ideals

by MF217



Series: Citadel of the Heart [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, Drama & Romance, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mental Instability, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence, One-Sided Attraction, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Journey, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Series Spoilers, Stealth Crossover, Talking Pokemon, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-06 00:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 82
Words: 254,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5395469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MF217/pseuds/MF217
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>First installment to the TAI AU Canon, re-uploaded from Fanfiction.net.<br/>Beginning his Pokemon Journey for the first time, Ash Ketchum is a 16 year old boy who strives to learn about what had happened to his father, in addition to becoming a powerful, famous Pokemon Trainer. On his journey, he is joined by his childhood friends Cheren and Bianca, as together they begin their Pokemon Journey across Unova. Along the way, they meet the ominous Team Plasma and the mysterious N, and soon enough, Ash is later involved in part of the story of a mysterious Lucario who seemingly knows Ash's father.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: An Old yet New Friend

**Author's Note:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)  
> (AN: This is based on my current, WIP story called Truth and Ideals, which is posted on Fanfiction.net and is being reposted here for reference's sake. Considering that the planned sequel is to be uploaded here, it only made sense to upload the story here as ahead of time. However, due note that the story is a WIP, both here and on FF.net, so the entire story is currently not finished thus far.)

_You might be unfamiliar with who I am. At the same time, you might claim to know everything about me. If you're in the latter group, however, I believe you are thinking about somebody else who shares my exact same name and starter Pokémon._

_Believe me, it isn't easy being a fledgling Pokémon Trainer, and I've actually yet to officially begin my journey. With my friends, Cheren and Bianca, by my side, I feel safe and reassured that I can be the very best as a trainer. They've been my friends for as long as I've lived here in Unova for crying out loud!_

_But alas, you're probably wondering who exactly I am. I am a sixteen year old boy who simply wants to leave on my, er, our adventure, and finally get to experience what being a Pokémon trainer is like. Let's just say I have a hunch that things will either go great, or have a few missteps in our quest, but I will assure we will all move forward._

_My name is Ash Ketchum, and this is the beginning of my journey through Unova and my quest to become the Pokémon Champion!_


	2. Chapter 1: An Idealistic Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and his mother, Delia Ketchum, exchange words before Ash begins to prepare for his Pokemon Journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

It was a calm, peaceful morning in Nuvema Town. Pidove were chirping happily outside around the small neighborhood, as one individual in particular flew into a house with an open window on the second floor, as it gazed at what was going on inside.

"Ash? Where are you?" Called the voice of a 38 year old, yet still young in tone, Delia Ketchum, as she look as to where her son could be. She was in his bedroom right now, but he was nowhere to be found, so walked downstairs to check a different room, passing by two Pikachu, an aged male with a just as old female, who were confused as to what was going on.

When Delia finally found Ash, she found him in the kitchen, holding onto a frying pan and spatula as he was just finishing up making pancakes, an odd choice of what he'd be doing at this time, was the thought the Delia had at the moment, as she walked up to him to see what was unusual about today.

"Hey, Ash, are you alright?" Delia asked, before adding "You're not normally up this early, so what's so different about today?"

With that, Ash turned off the stove as he finished preparing breakfast, setting up four plates as he carefully cut two of the servings into normal sized pieces, while cutting the second batch into much smaller pieces, and placing them onto the ground besides the wall as the two Pikachu from earlier notices the plates of food and rush up towards them happily.

"Pika!" The male Pikachu spoke, as he was petted on the forehead by Delia, her mood seeming to damper a bit for some reason, as Ash setting her plate down and serving her first cheered her up a bit, if primarily due to how much Ash has grown up at this rate.  _It was only yesterday in which he still behaved like a kid_ , thought Delia.

"I'm doing fine, mom. I just figured I'd better start acting like my age. That's all." Ash said, as he set his own serving of pancakes down, but did not immediately eat just yet as he began cleaning up the kitchen stove and counter from his cooking, as Delia realized something.

"… This is about you wanting to become a Pokémon Trainer still, isn't it?" Delia spoke, her tone hinting at worry, as Ash, realizing this, sighed a bit.

"Mom… I don't mean to upset you by asking for such a thing after the last few years of having asked, but I'm not just a kid anymore." Ash spoke, as he finished cleaning the stove and counters, and only did now did he begin to eat his own breakfast as Delia sighed a bit.

"You know what happened to-"

"Please, don't bring him up, I don't want you to begin crying like you've used to…"

"I'm not going to cry about him again!" Delia suddenly shouted, as the two Pikachu were taken by surprise by her sudden shouting, as the male motioned for the female, the latter noted as having a heart shaped tail, to check on something, all the while the male jumped up onto the table to listen to Delia and Ash's argument.

"Mom, I've wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer for years just like every other kid who has since grown up and left Nuvema Town. Heck, the only reason why Cheren and Bianca haven't left on their own journey yet is because they've selflessly began waiting for me to be able to travel with them, and all this time, I've basically been holding them back because you've refused to let me."

Ash's words hit Delia a bit harder than he intended to, as this was the first time in nearly six years of asking has Ash brought up Cheren and Bianca into the argument. _I know the three of them are close… but I never realized that was why those two never left yet_ , thought Delia, as she didn't have an urge to fight back against Ash's argument.

"Is that really going to be a good impression on them? Just for me to be sheltered here for all of my life just because of an incident with dad that-"

Silence filled the room very quickly when Ash was forcefully shut up by Delia, who had slowly moved over to Ash, hugging him since she did not realize how much she was hurting not only herself, but also her son for not letting him live his dream, all because of an incident many years ago that has made Delia paranoid about Ash living in his father's footsteps.

"Ash… I admire your bravery… I truly do… But I don't think anybody is going to find any answers about your father, especially considering he had disappeared before you were even born." Delia spoke, as Ash calmed down as she had hugged him, to which he responded by hugging her back.

"I-I'm sorry for antagonizing you when I shouldn't… I didn't mean to sound that way, mom. It's just… well… I don't really know anymore…" Ash spoke, as the awkwardness filled the room slowly once Delia let go, and Ash looked up at her as he was just pleading for some kind of answers for himself that Delia did not know how to answer.

"If you really want to go on a journey as a Pokémon Trainer… Then I insist you never leave Cheren and Bianca's side. Do you understand?" Delia asked, as she pulled something from under a blanket as she had walked back to Ash to show him what it was; a Pokémon Egg incubator.

"If you still insist on going on a journey, I also insist you take this young one along with you, for me, please?" Delia asked again, as Ash took the incubator from her hands and noted the yellow and black colored egg inside, as he looked at the male Pikachu which was still watching the two of them.

"Pikapi…!" Pikachu spoke to Ash, as Ash looked over at him, nodding to him, before gazing back at his mother again.

"Alright, but I'm not sure if Cheren and Bianca will be happy about my being a step ahead of them in our journey together." Ash answered, as he looked at the time on his Xtransceiver, noting that Bianca would be waking up soon.

"Just promise me you'll all take good care of each other while you're out, alright?" Delia asked for a bit of reassurance, as Ash nodded.

"I wouldn't worry about it; we'll take care of each other just fine. I mean, at least I'll be the one cooking for us." Ash spoke, as he tapped the screen on his Xtransceiver to begin to dial to both Bianca and Cheren, two of Ash's childhood friends who have still lived in Nuvema Town to wait on Ash to travel with them.

"Hey guys, remember what you've both been waiting on me for all this time?"

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 2: Introducing the Starters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash, Cheren, and Bianca begin to get acquainted with their new Starter Pokemon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

"So, she finally agreed to it?!" A bright, bubbly young woman on one end of the Xtransceiver spoke to Ash.

"If he's calling us with the confidence he has, I do believe that should be obvious…" A calm, stern young man spoke on the third end of the call.

"Trust me, my mom's still a tiny bit upset about it, but she's finally relenting about it." Ash responded to the two of them, before adding in: "I just hope your father is okay with you going on a journey with us, Bianca." Ash spoke to the girl, named Bianca.

"I-It's… Say, Cheren, do you have anything to add before we all get ready to meet up at your house?" Bianca asked Cheren, her and Ash's other friend whose part of the call. Cheren, meanwhile, groaned a bit.

"… Couldn't we just arrange for the meeting at the Professor's lab?" Cheren asked, before he heard the doorbell ring on his end. "Er, hold that thought." Cheren said, suddenly hanging up on his end, as Bianca looked at Ash from her end of the video call, her expression seeming to appear nervous.

"Say, Ash… Do you think he'll open up a bit more now that we're finally going to be trainers?" Bianca asked, as Ash tried to think of how to answer that. For a while now, he had been trying to get Cheren to open up more by trying to pair him up with Bianca whenever they hung up before, but Cheren was often just to himself every time they were together.

Speaking of Cheren, he suddenly brought the call back up on his end.

"… Looks like you two will be meeting me at my house; the Professor delivered the starter Pokémon here of all places." Cheren spoke with a sigh, as Ash and Bianca nodded.

"Alright, we'll see you there." Ash spoke, before hanging up to head on his way out to the living room with a backpack, an old one from when he was much younger and still went to school, and began packing a few small essentials with the help of Delia, including the Pokémon Egg.

**_A few minutes later…_ **

As Ash finished up with packing, he arrived at Cheren's house along with Bianca quickly rushing up behind him.

"Hey! Am I late?" Bianca asked, as Ash looked back at her and shook his head.

"Just on time, actually." Ash told her, as he chuckled a bit, as did Bianca to a small degree.

"Ya know... Do you still think that Cheren-"

"Still think what about me?" Cheren suddenly spoke up as he opened the front door, startling Ash and Bianca as they both nervously laughed a bit.

"Um, uh, let's see what Pokémon we got…?" Ash and Bianca both asked, as Cheren pushed his glasses up a bit in a bit of annoyance.

"Just get in already, then." Cheren spoke to the two of them, leading them inside.

As they walked inside and towards Cheren's bedroom, they were quick to notice that Cheren's parents were not at home. As for the surroundings, Cheren's house, to put it bluntly, was much, much tidier in appearance than Ash or Bianca's houses. Heading upstairs, the group gathers around a gift wrapped box on Cheren's bed.

"Already gift wrapped for a special occasion I see." Bianca asked, as Cheren nodded.

' _Well, we're all six years late to the party as Pokémon Trainers." Ash spoke up, as he noticed as Cheren picked up the card attached to the box and read it aloud._

" _I've brought three Pokémon, one for you and one for each of your friends. Please settle your choices politely. Enjoy your Pokémon!_

_-Professor Juniper'_

"Well, then, I guess we decide on who picks first then, yes?" Ash asked, as Cheren and Bianca both looked at each other, nodding, before looking at Ash.

"...You'll pick first. It's only fair since you've wanted to become a Trainer just like all of us have been." Cheren told Ash, as Bianca then spoke up next.

"Besides, I don't necessarily want your first Pokémon to disappoint you since your mom held all of us back for so long…" Bianca told Ash, as Ash looked at the two of them and sighed.

"Alright, if you guys so heavily insist." Ash told them, before opening the box and seeing small cards labelling the three Poké Balls contained within the box.

One of them, a green, lizard-like Pokémon with small limbs, was a Grass Type Pokémon called Snivy which for a moment, caught Ash's interest, but he chose against it. The next, an orange and black, pig Pokémon with large ears, was a Fire Type Pokémon called Tepig which caught Ash's interest, but he thought about it, before deciding to look at the last choice instead.

The last choice, upon finally examining it, is the one who he viewed would be his first Pokémon; a blue and white, otter-like Pokémon with a scalchop on its chest. This one was a Water Type Pokémon, with its name being Oshawott. Quickly glancing over the other two choices again, Ash finally made up his mind and picked up Oshawott's Poké Ball.

"Alright then, Oshawott, I choose you!" Ash said as he called out the Sea Otter Pokémon from its Poké Ball, watching as Oshawott looked at its surroundings with a bit of glee, yet also having a shy or emotionless exterior.

Bianca, meanwhile, went to pick her own starter.

"Okay, I'll take this Pokémon! Tepig, come on out!" Bianca called, as she let loose the Fire Pig Pokémon from its Poké Ball. Tepig, looking at its surroundings, noticed Oshawott, and snorted up smoke in his direction, seemingly hostile towards Oshawott on first sight, which seemed to amuse Cheren a bit.

"Alright, Cheren, that one's yours." Bianca told Cheren, pointing to Snivy's Poké Ball.

"Hey, how is it you get to pick out my own Pokémon for me?" Cheren asked, as he was shortly stared at a bit by Ash, Bianca, and even a quiet stare from Oshawott. "… Never mind, I was going to pick Snivy anyways." Cheren said, as he picked up Snivy's Poké Ball.

"Alright, Snivy, it's your turn!" Cheren called, before opening up the Poké Ball in a more calm fashion, as the Grass Snake Pokémon was quickly moving around the room in a curious fashion, moving at such a speed that it caught the rather aggressive Tepig's attention, but instead of aggression, Tepig didn't seem to mind Snivy's company as much as it did Oshawott's presence.

"So it looks like all of our Pokémon are acquainted, then!" Ash spoke up.

"So how about a battle, then?" Bianca asked, catching both Ash and Cheren by surprise.

"Um… Right now? I don't mind." Ash answered, as he noticed Bianca's Tepig having an aggressive look at Oshawott. "Besides, it looks like both of the two boys need to let off some steam anyways." Ash responded.

"But we're-" Cheren stopped himself. He was going to bring up about how this was his own bedroom, but when he overheard Ash saying "two boys" he noticed something was off.

"… My Snivy's a girl? How'd you find that out?" Cheren asked, now completely curious to know since he did not know of Snivy as having any major differences between male and female. However, when he saw Snivy's presence actually calmed down Tepig's aggression, in addition to making Oshawott visibly shake in a flustered manner even though his expression didn't change, Cheren simply no longer questioned it.

"Alright, then it looks like we'll both battle first, Ash." Bianca told her best friend, as Ash nodded.

"Agreed!" Ash replied, as Oshawott stepped into position, still staying rather calm in expression, as Tepig readied itself beside Bianca as well.

"Pokémon, go! Use Tackle!" Ash and Bianca both ordered to Oshawott and Tepig. Tepig, rushing forward, was met head first in the middle of their own trainers with a strong retaliation from Oshawott, sending both Pokémon flying backwards from the room, with Tepig crashing into a book case and Oshawott knocking over a trash bin.

"Uh, guys?" Cheren tried to interrupt, but wasn't heard, all the while Snivy watched with a bit of awe.

"Oshawott, flank Tepig from the right and use Tackle again!" Ash called towards Oshawott as the Sea Otter Pokémon stood back up, and dodged an incoming charge from Tepig, strafing to the right, before almost immediately slamming himself into Tepig, knocking Tepig onto his side, which resulted in a bookcase being knocked off of its original foundation, with several books and papers flying.

"Oh, dear… Tepig! Don't just let Oshawott batter you! Try and shrug it off and counter with Tackle!" Bianca called towards Tepig, as Tepig took notice of the incoming Oshawott. However, Tepig was heavier than Oshawott, and thus, when Tepig moved back onto his feet, he pushed himself directly into Oshawott's direction, taking the Water Type by surprise, as Oshawott was sent flying back into the bed, knocking the blanket and pillow out of place.

"Alright, time to finish this! Oshawott, Water Gun!" Ash called, as Oshawott growled in anticipation from Tepig's charging attack, before firing a jet of water from his mouth directly at Tepig, and pushing back Tepig with the force of the super-effective attack, in addition to soaking the floor around Tepig as well.

With another, smoky snort, Tepig was about to get up, before collapsing as he was out of energy to continue fighting. Oshawott, meanwhile, gave a salute-like gesture to Tepig, as Tepig merely snorted angrily at the sea otter in response, as Ash cheered for Oshawott.

"Way to go Oshawott!" Ash said, picking up his small sized Starter Pokémon in praise.

"Looks like you've won. Now we should heal our Pokémon for round two?" Bianca said, picking up the injured Tepig and grabbing a Potion from her bag and spraying Tepig with it to heal Tepig's injuries, which prompted the Fire Pig to sneeze a plume of flames at Bianca's face, which made her giggle a bit in a worried manner.

"Energetic little ones, aren't they?" Bianca asked Cheren, as Cheren had this dull, annoyed expression on his face.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but what about my bedroom?!" Cheren asked the both of them in a bit of a panic. Ash and Bianca, looking around and noticing that both of their own Pokémon had made a mess of Cheren's bedroom during the battle, nervously laughed a bit to themselves, before looking back at the rather livid yet still calm Cheren.

"… We'll clean this up now."

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 3: Preparing for Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Juniper introduces herself to the protagonists as the group makes their own goals clear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

After several minutes of mopping, dusting, and reorganizing furniture and papers, Cheren's room was finally all cleaned up. Now, though, Cheren wanted to battle, and this time, he insisted on having this battle take place outside of his own house.

Out in the open, the Autumn air was fresh as fresh can be. Snivy just couldn't stand still and kept zipping around the entire front yard with eyes wide, all the while Oshawott and Tepig kept staring at Snivy with their own distinct impressions of her. Tepig was attracted to her from earlier, and fought as hard as he could have done to impress her, but ultimately lost to Oshawott. Oshawott, meanwhile, while flustered by Snivy's attempts to charm them, was not so much interested in her in the same way as Tepig was.

All Oshawott saw was a much more "worthy" opponent.

"Sooo… Are you two going to battle, or…?" Bianca asked, as Cheren was trying to get Snivy back in the small, makeshift arena he had set up for her and Ash's Oshawott.

"Snivy! Just get over here!" Cheren called, as while chasing after her, Cheren tripped when Snivy suddenly made a u-turn towards his direction, running past him through his feet, and then finally stopped moving when she moved up to the arena, face to face with Oshawott. Letting out a small, feminine sounding hiss, Oshawott didn't respond very much to Snivy's "remark" and just remained very still, calm, and collected.

"Um, Cheren, you may want to get over here. It looks like she's ready." Ash called for Cheren, as Cheren got up and sighed in annoyance from Snivy's antics.

"Not even an hour and already my first Pokémon isn't listening to me." Cheren remarked, as he walked up to the battlefield, facing Ash. "Ready?"

"Ladies first." Ash commented, as Snivy perked up at that phrase.

"Pokémon, go! Use Tack-"

Snivy, as noted, took the "Ladies first" comment too literally, and made her move before she was commanded to do anything. Whereas Oshawott was rushing towards her to use Tackle against her, Snivy evaded with a strafe to the left, and Snivy was again acting on her own by suddenly running in a circle around Oshawott.

"Hey! Snivy! Listen to me will ya?" Cheren ordered, as Snivy was just in her own little world at the moment.

As she gained speed, suddenly blades of grass and leaves were flying upwards in a spiral around Oshawott, damaging him with a super-effective Leaf Tornado.

"Oshawott! Try and get her away with Water Gun!" Ash called out, as Oshawott came to his senses and attempted to push Snivy back with Water Gun, spraying from his mouth to strike at Snivy. Even with the resistance to Water Type moves, Snivy seemed to take more damage from that than usual.

"Snivy! What's the matter with you? Okay, scratch that. Take out Oshawott with Tackle!" Cheren ordered, as Snivy… just stood there, folding her arms and looking away from Cheren. Cheren, baffled by this, looked over to Ash as if trying to ask what was wrong with Snivy's obedience. This, thankfully, prompted a response from Bianca.

"Maybe you should try ordering her nicely?" Bianca suggested, as Cheren pushed his glasses up a bit in a tiny bit of annoyance. A Pokémon should always be capable of following orders, he thought. Snivy here, though, just wouldn't listen.

"Alright, Snivy… Please, use Tackle against Oshawott?" Cheren tried to say in the nicest tone he could speak in, as Snivy finally relented and ran up to Oshawott and charged into him, knocking him quite a distance, but even after this, it wasn't enough to knock out Oshawott.

"Alright, Oshawott. A bit of a rough start with Snivy, but don't let her looks get to you! Counter with Tackle!" Ash ordered, as Oshawott did as instructed, but in an odd twist of determination, suddenly spun around backwards and sprayed Water Gun towards Ash's direction, and launched himself at high speed towards Snivy, which Snivy was unable to avoid in time due to the unorthodox combo used, and got sent flying into one of the fence posts of Cheren's yard.

"Ring out! Oshawott wins!" Bianca cheered, "But, er, don't feel bad, Cheren…" Bianca added in real quick, as Cheren pushed his glasses up, walking over to pick up Snivy as he brought her towards Bianca, as Bianca healed up Snivy's wounds, as she then attended to Oshawott next.

"Well then, that settles that. Perhaps we should head to the professor's lab next?" Bianca asked, as Ash and Cheren both blinked for a moment.

"Um… Some of us still need to pack for our journey, Bianca." Cheren spoke, as Ash nodded.

"Yeah, I'm already packed, but you two still need to get ready before we prepare to leave." Ash told Bianca, as Bianca appeared visibly nervous, as it didn't take long for Ash to figure out the problem.

"… Lemme guess he's going to be a problem isn't he?" Ash asked Bianca, as she nervously nodded her head to answer that, as Cheren looked at Ash in confusion.

"… You mean Bianca's dad is going to try and hold us back now? Not on my watch." Cheren said, angrily stomping in the direction of Bianca's house, as Snivy quickly zoomed ahead past him after jumping out of Bianca's hold, stopping for a moment to look back at Oshawott and Tepig, before doing a little twirl and winking at the both of them, before rushing off towards Bianca's house with Cheren.

"Um… Uh… Do you think he'll be ready for what your dad will have to say?" Ash asked Bianca nervously.

"Believe me, he's handled worse." Bianca told Ash.

"Trust me… I think he's going to want to be careful around you after talking with your dad."

_**Speaking of which…** _

Bianca's father, named Donald or simply "Don", was busy glaring down Cheren at the moment.

"Do you think she'll honestly go on a Pokémon journey with both you and Ash considering how little she knows of the world? Who does she think she is?!" Don spoke to Cheren, as Cheren adjusted his glasses for a moment.

"Sir, with all due respect, you're talking about this as if she'll be alone for the entire trip." Cheren told Don, but Don was still a bit… livid, so to speak, but stopped enough to listen what Cheren had to say once his wife entered the room to calm him down.

"Alright… I'll listen… You're telling me that you and Ash will both ensure that Bianca herself doesn't get in trouble at all?" Don asked Cheren, as Cheren nodded.

"I swear on my own life, sir. We've all been patient, we've all been close together, and nothing will stop us from separating at all on our quest!" Cheren told Don. Normally, it wasn't all much like Cheren to talk this way, but in Don's case, he had no real choice.

As Ash and Bianca silently came into view with their own respective Pokémon, Don's expression softened a lot more than it was beforehand. Who was he to tell them to not go on to live their own dreams?

"Alright, go on ahead. Be my guest. If something bad happens to Bianca, though, I at least expect a call so I can take her home." Don told them, as Bianca mentally cheered on the inside, as Ash and Cheren both calmed down.

"Um, sir, if you don't mind me asking… Does any of this have to do with what happened to my own dad?" Ash asked Don, entering the living room as Don practically froze at the question. Didn't Delia already get the point across to him, he thought to himself.

"He disappeared and never returned, we all know that… But that has nothing to do with this, Ash. I just wish you could finally understand that…" Don told Ash, as Ash nodded, and was about to move to leave. "Just, uh, be certain you and Cheren will both keep Bianca safe." Don asked of Ash before he left.

"We promise… we won't let anyone fishy near her."

_**Later, at the professor's lab…** _

Ash, Cheren, and Bianca were walking up to the Professor's Lab, all three of them packed and ready to go, as Professor Juniper was already waiting for them inside, though not too surprising for either of them considering Juniper is the one who gave them their Pokémon to begin with.

"Hi there! I was wondering when you'd show up. Allow me to introduce myself again, my name is…"

"Professor Juniper. We already know your name." Cheren interrupted, as Juniper sighed a bit calmly.

"Come, come, Cheren! Today is a day to always remember, so now is not something you simply take in things so lightly. Please have some level of formality, alright? With that said, once again, my name is Professor Juniper." Juniper introduced, as she had a look at the three and noticed Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott's differing emotions and behaviors.

"My my, it looks like you three have already had a Pokémon Battle. Perhaps that's why it looks like your own Pokémon trust you so much!" Juniper talked, although she did glance at Snivy's… inability to hold still. "Although, I do recommend you give Snivy plenty of room to run. She's always been that way upon arrival." Juniper commented.

"Well so much for formality, but I do have to say that Snivy isn't necessarily trusting me." Cheren mentioned, as Juniper looked at Cheren rather carefully.

"Did you try and be polite about it? Some Pokémon prefer not to have their orders shouted at them, after all." Juniper asked Cheren, as Cheren pushed his glasses up again.

"Well… I'll work on that." Cheren answered, as Juniper chuckled.

"Either way, I wouldn't worry about it as long as she's trained nicely." Juniper told Cheren, as she looked over at Bianca next. "How would you say Tepig is to you, Bianca?" Juniper asked Bianca, as Bianca looked at Tepig.

"A bit aggressive towards others, eager to fight, but nothing I can't handle!" Bianca said to reassure Juniper, as Tepig snorted some smoke out into the air again.

"Splendid, and how about you, Ash? How is Oshawott treating you?" Juniper asked, as Ash held up Oshawott towards her.

"He's kind of… calm, collected, really stable if he knows what he's doing. Not very energetic, either." Ash told her, as Juniper sighed.

"I kind of figured he would be that way, he is the youngest of the three, after all." Juniper said, as she looked at all three, before grabbing hold of three, small devices of sorts and handing one to Ash, Cheren, and Bianca.

"These will be your Pokédexs for your journey. With them, you will be able to record data on each Pokémon you come across, so that you'll know exactly how to train each different type of Pokémon you'll catch. That way, you won't have to worry about confusion on which Pokémon you'll want to catch." Juniper explained, as she looked at the three of them, especially at Ash.

"Thank you, professor. We'll take good care of these." Ash spoke up, as he looked to see Juniper smiling before moving to grab a small pouch of supplies, taking three of them and handing one each to Ash and co., and inside were five Poké Balls in addition to a Premier Ball.

"So, then, how soon will you three be able to meet me out at Route 1 to learn how to catch Pokémon?"

**To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 4: Finishing the Tutorial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash, Cheren, and Bianca make their way to Accumula Town, but soon end up meeting strange new faces...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

"Now then, do we remember everything we're here for?" Cheren asked both Ash and Bianca, as they stood directly in front of the sign that reads "Route 1".

"To help Professor Juniper with the Pokédex, of course!" Bianca said.

"And to become Pokémon Trainers while we're at it!" Ash said, as Cheren looked at both of them and nodded.

"Good, so we all remember." Cheren said, as he was about to take his step towards Route 1… but…

"Hey, wait up!" Bianca spoke, as she suddenly grabbed hold of Cheren's arm, as she did the same with Ash's arm as well, pulling both of them towards her with herself in the center.

"So, what's the deal here?" Cheren asked, as Bianca giggled.

"Well, you see, since it's our first time as Pokémon Trainers, I figured… we'd all take our first steps onto Route 1 together!" Bianca said, as Cheren sighed.

"Do we really have to?"

"Yes." Ash spoke up, as he was taking this rather well despite what Cheren was thinking. Must be because he hangs out with both of us, thought Cheren.

"Well, if that's the case, I guess we'll do just that, Bianca." Cheren answered, as he looked ahead to Route 1 just ahead.

"Alright, on 3! 1… 2… 3!"

With that, Ash, Bianca, and Cheren took their first steps onto Route 1, and looked around at the setting before them, with a surprising glance from a Pidove flying before them, as Ash took interest in how it was flying around the area; it seemed like its ability to fly wasn't working properly for it, since it kept falling downwards as it flew.

"Do you think something's wrong with that Pidove?" Ash asked to himself, as he looked forward to see Professor Juniper waiting for them.

"Oh, didn't take too long to get ready I see?" Juniper asked, as Ash blinked.

"But, how did you suddenly appear in front of us?" Ash asked, prompting confused looks from Cheren and Bianca.

"Um… Ash… She was already ahead of us and waiting here…" Cheren told Ash, as Ash looked at Cheren and blinked.

"Plus, what Pidove are you talking about?" Bianca asked, as Ash looked back at her, and then looked towards Juniper with a confused expression. Was he just beginning to see things, now?

"Oh, Ash, did you get enough sleep?" Juniper asked, a little concerned, as Ash nodded.

"Ya, I got enough sleep. Why?" Ash asked, prompting a chuckle from Juniper.

"Well, just try not to get distracted next time." Juniper told him, as she opened a Poké Ball she was carrying.

"Come on out! Minccino!" Juniper called out, as a Pokémon known as Minccino appeared from the Poké Ball. Ash, unsure of what Pokémon this was, used his Pokédex to analyze it.

"Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokémon, these Pokémon prefer a tidy habitat. They are always sweeping and dusting, using their tails as brooms." The Pokédex spoke in a female sounding, monotone voice, as Ash was a little startled at first with how his Pokédex basically spoke.

"Now then, Minccino, let's show Ash and co. how to catch a Pokémon! Single out a target!" Juniper commanded, as Minccino squeaked happily, as its eyes were set immediately upon a Patrat hiding in the tall grass.

Juniper, giving commands to Minccino to attack, began to explain to Ash, Cheren, and Bianca as to how to properly catch Pokémon.

"First, when you encounter a wild Pokémon, you must weaken it before you try and throw a Poké Ball at it." Juniper told them, as Minccino charged in towards Patrat to attack with Tackle, as Patrat was knocked back a bit, as Ash and Bianca were paying attention the most, whereas Cheren was simply observing.

"Then, after that-"

"You throw a Poké Ball at it, wait three shakes, then a final click to determine capture." Cheren added in.

"Righto, Cheren!" Juniper called, as she grabbed an empty Poké Ball from her pouch. "Poké Ball, go!" She called, throwing it at the weakened Patrat as the Poké Ball made contact and opened up, sucking the Patrat into the center, as it closed and fell onto the ground.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

With that, Patrat was caught, as Juniper walked up to the Poké Ball to pick it up, putting it into her pouch and looking back towards Ash, Bianca, and Cheren.

"Now then, why don't you three give it a shot? Try using those Premier Balls I gave you for this one." Juniper told them, as Ash and co. each called out their own respective starters, and took aim towards a specific Pokémon in the Route.

"Oshawott, Water Gun on Pidove!"

"Tepig, Ember on Lillipup!"

"Snivy, Leaf Tornado on Purrloin!"

All three starters were given their commands, and all three pulled them off; Oshawott sprayed water upon a Pidove to weaken it, Tepig igniting a Lillipup, and Snivy, at first, disobeying commands before using Leaf Tornado on a Purrloin.

With that, all three wild Pokémon dropped to the ground in a weakened state, which prompted Ash to turn his hat around real quick, as he, Bianca, and Cheren readied the Premier Ball that each of them were given.

"Premier Ball, go!" They called in unison, as Ash's Premier Ball hit Pidove, Bianca's hitting Lillipup, and Cheren's hitting Purrloin.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

"We did it!" Ash cheered, as he and his friends moved to grab hold of their respective Premier Balls and holding them up. "We caught our first Pokémon!"

Juniper, watching all of this, was silently clapping her hands.

"Well, you three learn fast." Juniper complimented, as Ash and co. walked back up to Juniper.

"Yeah, we sure did." Ash spoke, as he opened up his Premier Ball to see Pidove real quick, and noticed Pidove try and fly up to him, and was a bit shocked.

"Hey… Her wing…!" Ash spoke, as Juniper took notice of the problem.

"Well, looks like you'll need to take Pidove to a Pokémon Center right away. It's just up ahead at Accumula Town!" Juniper told Ash, as Ash had Pidove return to her Premier Ball, as Ash nodded.

"Alright, I'll see you catch up!" Ash said, running off towards Accumula Town with Oshawott running quickly behind him, leaving Cheren and Bianca on their own save for Professor Juniper beside them.

"I'll follow him to make sure he knows where to go, you two can handle yourselves, right?" Juniper said to Bianca and Cheren, who both nodded.

"Good, I'll see you there!" Juniper said, before talking towards Accumula Town, as Bianca looked at Cheren a bit.

"So, he really did see a Pidove then, didn't he?" Bianca said, as Cheren blinked.

"Yeah, kind of odd… considering there's not another Pidove in sight, I'm surprised he was able to find one at all." Cheren said, as he looked at Bianca a bit, noticing Bianca sighing as he didn't seem to notice one other thing…

"Hey, uh, Cheren? Why are you staring?" Bianca asked, as internally she was screaming when she had asked that, but Cheren was quick to look away without saying anything. Though, if Bianca were able to see it, he had a very minor blush on his face.

' _Why am I often the one looking at her like that…?'_ Cheren thought.

At Accumula Town, Ash was with Professor Juniper at the Pokémon Center, with Ash being introduced to the head aide at the facility.

"Ash, this is Nurse Joy. She will be responsible for healing your Pokémon to good condition whenever you need them healed." Juniper introduced, as Ash looked at Nurse Joy with a bit of wonder.

"Nurse Joy, huh? Nice to meet you!" Ash said, holding out his hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ash." Nurse Joy said, taking his hand as they both shook hands.

"Now then, about Pidove. I noticed she had a broken wing, but for some reason, I was the only one who saw it while I was out at Route 1." Ash told Nurse Joy, as Nurse Joy finished her work on the healing machine and returned Ash's Pokémon to him.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't know, but it looks like whatever caused the broken wing problem did so without using any known Type of move." Nurse Joy told Ash, as Ash sighed.

"At least I'm not seeing things." Ash said.

"Hey Ash!" Cheren interrupted, running into the Pokémon Center to see him.

"Hey Cheren, what's up?" Ash asked, as Cheren did look a bit red on his face… though just the one side of it, and a rather upset Bianca was walking up to Nurse Joy to have her Pokémon healed.

"Um… Need I asked what happened?" Ash said, as Cheren dragged Ash away to the side for a moment, towards the upper floor of the Pokémon Center. Cheren, seeing he was out of hearing range from Bianca, sighed and looked at Ash.

"Alright, how exactly do you say I told her I was staring at her breasts a while ago?" Cheren asked, in a toned that tried to hide the fact it was serious.

"So, why would you flat out tell Bianca that, anyways? I figured she'd react negatively, but not like that! She's not even that flat!" Ash told Cheren, as Cheren grabbed Ash by the collar of his shirt.

"Okay wise guy, next time you tell me not to lie to Bianca, I'll tell her loud and clear that little comment about her!" Cheren threatened, as Ash held his hands up in response.

"Cheren, honestly, I'm surprised you even were staring at her in the first place!" Ash explained.

"Well excuse me, prince, but do you think that maybe, oh, I dunno, I felt her press against my arm in more ways than one when we were about to walk onto Route 1?!" Cheren yelled, before dropping Ash and beginning to walk downstairs.

"Well, sorry! I didn't know! To be honest, after all of this time, I kind of thought you were-"

"Ash, stop for a sec." Cheren said, looking out of the window.

"No, wait! I didn't mean to suggest you were-"

"No, seriously!" Cheren said, stopping Ash where he stood and pointing outside the window to a crowd. "I was referring to them!"

"Who are they?" Ash asked, as he noticed that on the other end of the crowd, a bunch of people suited up in weird uniforms with two flags set up with a stylized "P" insignia on them, and in the middle was a rather green haired man in a weird looking, castle-like set of robes.

Heading outside, with Bianca still in the Pokémon Center, Ash and Cheren went to investigate what was going on.

"My name is Ghetsis" The green haired man introduced, "I am here representing Team Plasma."

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokémon liberation." Ghetsis began to talk, as the crowd was silently talking to themselves about what exactly he had meant.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners, that we live together because we want and need each other. Have you ever considered that, perhaps… we humans only assume this is the truth?"

"Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers, they get pushed around while they are our "partners" at work. Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth to what I am saying?" Ghetsis asked, as Cheren, at first, thought Ghetsis was onto something regarding Pokémon disobeying commands and all, but something like what Ghetsis was claiming was just alien to him, especially because of what he had to say next.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, Pokémon are different from humans. They are living beings that contain unknown potential…"

Ash, while paying attention to what Ghetsis had to say, felt an unusual whisper behind him, as he looked around, and didn't appear to see anybody… other than his own shadow taking the shape of a large, robust Dragon with red eyes. Somewhere in the crowd, he could also make out… somebody, with a white colored shadow of sorts, but he didn't know the meaning of this, so continued to listen to Ghetsis.

"They are living beings from which we humans have much to learn. Tell me, what is our responsibility towards these wonderful beings called Pokémon?" Ghetsis asked the crowd, as they began to murmur small comments on what Ghetsis had to say as a whole. Ash, though, gazed back at his own shadow and noticed it was back to normal, and he could no longer see the other shadow in white.

Prompted by one of the guests in the crowd, Ghetsis resumed his speech.

"That's right! We must liberate the Pokémon! Then, and only then, will humans and Pokémon truly be equals." Ash could've heard the crowd beginning to silently talk to themselves again, but he didn't hear them so easily over a loud, sharp roar that entered his head.

_((Fool…))_

"Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider the relationship between people and Pokémon. We sincerely appreciate your attention." Ghetsis finished speaking, as two of his followers grabbed hold of the flags they were carrying, as they watched as Ghetsis walked towards the others of their side, surrounded by them, before all of them left towards somewhere else.

As the crowd began to walk away and discuss what to do after hearing Ghetsis's words, Ash heard briefly saw the person whose shadow appeared white, this time yet again, before the shadow faded back to normal when everyone else had cleared of the area. Cheren, who turned in the direction Ash was facing, noticed the strange man.

This man, like Ghetsis, also appeared to have green hair, and was quick to take notice of Ash and Cheren, walking up to both of them.

"Your Pokémon… Just now, it was saying something… Fool, was it?"

**To be continued…**


	6. Chapter 5: The name's N

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> N introduces himself to Ash, Cheren, and Bianca.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

Cheren and Ash were occupied with trying to read this guy's comment. Cheren, meanwhile, had this to say about it.

"Slow down, you're talking too fast." Cheren remarked, "And what's this about our Pokémon… talking? None of our Pokémon are out of their Poké Balls." Cheren said, as Ash took the chance to respond by calling Oshawott out of his Poké Ball.

Oshawott, staying silent and emotionless as usual, looked up at the man, who leaned down to look at Oshawott. Petting Oshawott for a brief moment, the strange man resumed what he was talking about the moment he heard Oshawott give a content, purring sound, though Oshawott's expression remained the same.

"Yes, they're talking. Can't you hear them?" The man asked, as he stood back up to look at Ash and Cheren's confused looks.

"Oh. You two can't hear them, either… How sad." The man remarked, before finally introducing himself. "My name is N".

"My name is Ash, and this is Cheren." Ash introduced both Cheren and himself to N, "We have been asked by the professor to complete the Pokédex, and we just left on our journey." Ash finished.

"My own goal is to become the Champion, though." Cheren added in, as N let out a rather light chuckle, before looking at Ash and Cheren a bit more seriously.

"The Pokédex, eh? So… You're going to confine many, many Pokémon into Poké Balls for that, then? I'm a trainer, too, but I can't help but wonder about something." N said, as he was paying close attention to Ash and Oshawott in particular.

"Are Pokémon really happy that way? So, Ash, is it?" N asked, looking towards Ash, who nodded, but quickly noted the change in N's tone.

"Let me hear your Pokémon's voice again!" N asked, as he called out a Purrloin onto the pavement in front of them. Purrloin, letting out a sharp meow, already gave the clue to Oshawott that this was going to be a fight.

"If you say so… Oshawott! Use Water Gun against Purrloin!" Ash ordered, as Oshawott didn't waste much time in doing what it was told to do. Spraying out a torrent of water from his mouth towards Purrloin, the Devious Pokémon wasted no time in using scratch against Oshawott, but even with the immediate use of an attack, Oshawott didn't seem to take much damage at all.

' _Odd… It's as if Purrloin hasn't battled or trained beforehand…'_  Cheren thought to himself as he watched Ash and N's battle against each other.

"More! Let me hear the voice of your Pokémon!" N proclaimed, as he watched closely as Purrloin did battle against Oshawott. However, within a swift movement, the Scalchop on Oshawott's chest glowed an intense blue, as Oshawott suddenly lifted it off of his chest and began slashing at Purrloin with the edge of it, using Razor Shell for the first time.

"I never expected to hear Pokémon say such things…" With that, Purrloin fell to the ground and fainted from the blow, as N called back Purrloin.

"Yeah! Nice job Oshawott! Learning a new move as well, that's impressi-" Ash was interrupted when he saw N open up Purrloin's Poké Ball again, but instead of the usual, red aura that appears when a Pokémon is called forth or caught with a Poké Ball, he saw a blue aura appear from Purrloin's Poké Ball as it was let out, as Purrloin, in addition to Ash and Cheren, were confused as to what had happened.

"You're free now, Purrloin. Thank you." N told Purrloin, as Purrloin didn't stay around for much longer as it had decided to run off back into the wild.

"You… just released it…?" Bianca asked as she finally arrived to the scene from the Pokémon Center, with Cheren about ready to say something, but dropped it when he realized now wasn't the best time to open his big mouth just yet.

"Yes. As long as Pokémon are confined in Poké Balls, Pokémon will never become perfect beings." N explained, as Bianca was confused, with Cheren and Ash both giving her a look which told her that they'll explain the situation more in a bit.

"I have to change the world for Pokémon, because they're my friends. I just hope that you three will eventually see the truth as well." N said, before walking off to leave.

"Hey, wait up!" Ash said, but by the time he spoke up, N was already gone.

"Huh… strange guy, but I'm not going to worry about it." Cheren told Ash and Bianca.

"Yeah, trainers and Pokémon help each other out, so what exactly was he saying?" Bianca asked, as Ash looked at Bianca to begin to explain the situation, telling her everything from this Team Plasma group, this man named Ghetsis, and finally a bit more about N which she wasn't here for.

"So… He claims he can talk to Pokémon?" Bianca asked, as Ash nodded.

"Yeah… oddly enough, though, he said we couldn't hear it, but in all honesty, I did actually hear someone or something say "fool" before he had walked up to us. Although, that was when Ghetsis was still speaking to a crowd of people when I had heard that." Ash admitted, as Cheren sighed.

"Don't tell me you're imagining things again…" Ash said, as Ash shook his head.

"That Pidove I saw earlier? Do you remember that?" Ash asked, as he called out Pidove from her Poké Ball to show to Cheren and Bianca, as Pidove had a bandaged left wing from earlier still. However, now that Cheren had a good look at Pidove, he noticed something… sparkling…

"Um… Ash… It's been a while since I've seen a Pidove up close, but I'm pretty sure that's not their normal coloration I'm seeing." Cheren said, as Ash had a look at Pidove with his Pokédex.

"Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. These Pokémon live in cities. They are accustomed to people. Flocks often gather in parks and plazas." Just as the Pokédex had finished speaking, a wild Pidove landed near Ash's Pidove, eyeing her curiously as the pink eyed, partially blue colored Pidove belonging to Ash was backing away a bit, as another wild Pidove soon landed beside her.

"Hmmm, the Pokédex says that the Pidove I have is… Shiny? What does that necessarily mean, aside from the color difference of course?" Ash asked.

"Exactly just that, Ash. Now then, back to what you were saying before; you also heard something say "fool", just like how N did, yes?" Cheren asked, as Ash nodded.

"Yeah... Though, it didn't feel like what I heard was… normal." Ash told him, as Bianca decided to ask something.

"So, if you heard this as well, what did it sound like?" Bianca asked, as Ash thought for a moment about it.

"The voice sounded very deep, somewhat growling in tone. It didn't really feel like Oshawott or Pidove said it, especially considering both of them were in their Poké Balls at the time of N walking up to me and Cheren." Ash explained.

"Same for Snivy, Purrloin, and Patrat on my end. I'm not certain exactly what N claims he would have heard, but even I can say that the voice you described sounded too mature in tone when all of our Pokémon have yet to actually evolve at all." Cheren said, tossing up the three Poké Balls for each of his Pokémon and letting them out, as Snivy, Purrloin, and the recently caught Patrat all let out various, animal-like sounds in a high pitched, somewhat squeaky tone.

Oshawott and Pidove, meanwhile, did the same, and even though Pidove sounded rather deeper in tone, it wasn't noticeably deep, and had more to do with how Pidove sounded naturally than it did an actual, "speaking" voice.

"You've got a good point, Cheren… although we didn't really have to let our own Pokémon to really know that." Ash said, returning Oshawott and Pidove to their respective Poké Balls, as Cheren did the same with his own Pokémon.

"Either way, I wanted to at least verify something. I mean, you did sort of zone out during Ghetsis's speech. That… normally isn't like you." Cheren spoke, as Bianca blinked.

"… This is starting to confuse me now, so unless we have anything else to say on this matter, could we advance to the next town? Catch more Pokémon on the way there? Do something that can calm myself down?" Bianca asked, as she was rather visibly upset over something, but not as much as she was before.

"So… You're implying you didn't slap Cheren on purpose?" Ash asked Bianca, as Bianca blinked, before nodding.

"I-It… It was instinct. That and I'm rather freaked out by subjects that aren't considered legal for any of us yet." Bianca confessed, as Cheren sighed.

"Well, er… are you mad about it?" Ash asked, as Cheren pushed his glassed upward on his face again in a bit of annoyance.

"Well, no, not really…?" Bianca said, as she looked towards a region map she had. "Though, regardless, could we possibly get a move on so I can relax my nerves? This whole Team Plasma thing is beginning to frighten me a little…" Bianca asked, as Ash and Cheren looked at each other and nodded.

About an hour later, after Ash and co. had been purchasing supplies from the Pokémon Center with some money they had earned from their own families before they left Nuvema Town, they had begun to set out towards Route 2, when Ash suddenly got a call on his Xtransceiver from his mom.

"Mom? Is there a reason you're calling?" Ash asked, as Cheren and Bianca stopped to look at him, while both of them were in the middle of training their own Pokémon alongside Ash's own Pokémon.

"Yes, I just wanted to call for a checkup, dear." Delia spoke on the other end, as Ash blinked.

"Oh, me and the others are doing fine? We've even caught some of our own Pokémon as well!" Ash told his mom, as Delia smiled.

"Well, that's nice to hear and all, Ash, but I was referring to the Pokémon Egg, silly." Delia spoke, as Cheren, in the midst of drinking a cantina of water, suddenly did a spit take as he looked at Ash.

"Pokémon Egg? What Pokémon Egg? Is that why Ash's backpack is so heavy?" Cheren asked, as Bianca looked at him to grab Ash's backpack, unzipping the bag to take out the portable incubator the Pokémon Egg was being stored in, as Cheren blinked in surprise, as did Bianca, with Ash walking up to them.

"Hey, guys, I apologize for not having told you about the Pokémon Egg. I had actually forgotten about it by the time we got to Juniper's… ehehe…" Ash laughed nervously, as Cheren and Bianca sighed.

"As much as it would've been nice to know ahead of time, we don't mind. Though…" Bianca said.

"… What exactly is even in this egg, anyways? Its coloration doesn't look like any Pokémon Egg I've seen before." Cheren finished, as Bianca looked at him and blushed, with Cheren looking at her and blinking. "What? What did I say?" Cheren asked.

Ash, meanwhile, checking on the Pokémon Egg, sighed knowing it was still in good condition, though the lack of a major amount of movement indicated it wasn't close to hatching just yet.

"The Egg's doing fine, mom. It's just not close to hatching yet, it seems." Ash told his mom over his Xtransceiver.

"Its fine, I was just asking if it was being kept in a safe and healthy condition." Delia asked, as Ash sighed.

"Look mom, the egg will be fine. I'm sure it'll hatch soon. I just don't know what Pikachu's evolutionary line is to know exactly what it would hatch into." Ash spoke to his mom, as Cheren and Bianca blinked and began to whisper to each other.

"Is he talking about those two Pokémon living at his house?" Bianca asked.

"Seems like it. I don't know any other Pokémon in Unova with that name, so it's only reasonable that whatever's in that egg is related to this Pikachu Pokémon." Cheren told her, as he pulled out his Pokédex, trying to scan the Pokémon Egg to see what it'll hatch into, to see if it's Pikachu, or…

"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. The electric sacs in its cheeks are small. If even a little electricity leaks, it becomes shocked." The Pokédex said, as Cheren and Bianca looked at Ash, who had just finished his call with Delia.

"So a Pokémon called Pichu is going to hatch from the Egg? I take it that it evolves into Pikachu, then?" Ash asked them both, as they both nodded, with Cheren quickly looking over the Pokédex's screen for Pichu.

"Its evolution line goes up to two further slots, and Pikachu is directly after Pichu and evolves into another Pokémon after that." Cheren told Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Alright, so there's one mystery solved." Ash said, as he began to yawn a little bit. "I suppose we should start setting up camp next, then?" Ash asked both Cheren and Bianca.

"Well, it's getting late, so I guess that is a good idea." Cheren said, as Bianca nodded in response.

"Yeah, time sure flies when you're having fun and all." Bianca said, as Ash went to put the incubator back in his Backpack, as he and the others got ready to set up camp, as their Pokémon were returned to their respective trainers' Poké Balls.

_**Meanwhile, not very far away from them…** _

"Should we report to Lord N about the Pokémon Egg?" A man covered head to toe in black asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem, though I advise we tell him anyways. He might be interested in the news." Another man, covered in identical clothing, spoke, as a third man with equally identical clothing walked up to them.

"Relax. Besides, we're not here to take anything from them, nor are we here for the Striaton Brothers. We're just scouting these trainers because N asked us to. That and we're making sure the grunts don't screw up with the Dream Mist." The third spoke up, as the other two glanced at him.

"Besides, the grunts keep getting this idiotic idea that we and the Striaton Trio are one in the same. I mean, seriously." One of them spoke up, as he removed his mask and bandana, revealing a rather aged face underneath in addition to pure white, very lengthy hair. "We don't even look remotely that young underneath this cover. That and the fact we're... What's the word I'm looking for?"

"Robust."

"Thank you." The man spoke, before putting his mask and bandana back on, all the while the one observing Ash and co. setting up camp spoke up next.

"I'm not certain why Lord N is interested in these trainers, but it had better be important as to why we're here instead of keeping an eye on the grunts…" He spoke, as the third to arrive began to speak next.

"Again, relax… Have you forgotten? We can simply teleport anywhere we please… whenever we please…" The third spoke, as the other two men nodded, before all three of them suddenly vanished into thin air…

Ash and co., all ready for the night ahead, begin to settle down for the night and prepare for what was ahead for the next day; the Striaton Gym Battle.

**To be continued…**


	7. Chapter 6: Friend or Foe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash, Cheren, and Bianca are out on Route 2 the next day, and end up meeting a mysterious Pokemon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

As morning arrived, Ash set up a small cooking set up for him to work with, working on a batch of pancakes as his Pidove was sitting on his shoulder, watching his every move. She seemed a little curious, to say the least.

"Don't worry, Pidove, I'm making food for all of us." Ash told her, as Ash chuckled a little, as Pidove chirped a little and moved to fly off of his shoulder and land on the ground.

Cheren and Bianca, meanwhile, were still fast asleep in the tent; the only tent they had, at that.

Bianca was slowly beginning to stir, as she felt in an extremely comfortable state of relaxation…

… As she noticed Cheren's arms were wrapped around her, with Cheren still fast asleep.

 _'U-Um… this is weird… I'm not really complaining, b-but…'_  Bianca began to think for a moment,  _'still, though…'_  She slowly moved to look at Cheren's face when her eyes were opening up more as her vision cleared up.

 _'He's… so calm… I haven't seen him like this in years…'_  Bianca thought to herself, a few, small tears forming in her eyes, before she moved to lay her head against Cheren's chest, being careful not to move too suddenly. She knew Cheren was shy when it was just the two of them together, so she wanted to enjoy this small moment while it lasted, which made her recall from the night before as to how this happened…

_All she could remember outright was that she was beginning to get cold; the tent that she shared with the boys had a wall in the center of it to give her privacy when necessary, so she was sleeping by herself with Ash and Cheren on the same side of the tent as each other._

_However, tonight ended up being a colder night than usual, as Bianca was used to how warm her bedroom was in Autumn, especially on the colder nights. She could recall how warm and comfortable her own bed was, but now camping out in the middle of Route 2 made her quite uneasy. It wasn't just cold, but it was unfamiliar for her._

_She felt she had to do something about this, so she unzipped part of the wall in the middle of the tent to look at Cheren's sleeping form. Oddly enough, Ash wasn't here, as she heard some occasional talking outside of the tent, meaning Ash was probably training his Oshawott or Pidove._

_Looking down at Cheren, she moved to carefully budge him awake._

" _H-Hey… C-Cheren…? Could you please wake up?" Bianca asked in a whisper, as Cheren slowly began to stir with his eyes opening up to look at Bianca._

" _Is this important…?" Cheren asked, as he looked and noticed how pale Bianca's hand was, and this caused him to suddenly sit up straight to look at her carefully._

" _Bianca! You're practically freezing! Hold on a sec, can you get Tepig's Poké Ball for a moment?" Cheren asked, as he moved to grab Snivy's Poké Ball, letting Snivy out of her Poké Ball on Bianca's side of the tent, as Snivy looked around and blinked. Bianca, getting the clue, grabbed Tepig's Poké Ball and let him out right next to Snivy, with Tepig looking around and blinking due to how late it was._

" _Hey, Snivy… Could you please get Tepig to help us out?" Cheren asked Snivy, as Snivy hissed affectionately, prompting Cheren to move to grab something from his own backpack, as Cheren handed Snivy a Poké Puff to encourage her to listen, as Snivy quickly ate up the treat and moved a bit closer to Tepig, causing Tepig, from the sudden movement Snivy made towards him, to generate a field of heat around himself, that quickly warmed up the tent as a whole._

" _Alright, thank you, Tepig. You can return to your Poké Ball, now." Bianca spoke, as she returned Tepig to his Poké Ball, as Cheren did the same with Snivy._

" _Will you be alright?" Cheren asked Bianca, as she smiled a little nervously._

" _I… um…" Bianca tried to say something, but didn't know how to put it. "I'm sorry for slapping you yesterday, but if I can ask something… er…"_

" _Could you please sleep beside me for tonight, please?"_

Waking up from her current thoughts, Bianca looked at Cheren, who's peaceful sleep showcased that for as awkward as he can be at times, he wasn't fully above at least showing concern for her, causing her to smile sweetly, as continued to rest her head against his chest.

Ash, meanwhile, was finished preparing breakfast by this point, and went to the tent to get Cheren and Bianca. Not having returned to the tent from last night's training, he walked into the tent to look at the fact the boy's side of the tent was unoccupied to his surprise, as he carefully unzipped the middle section of the wall between his and Cheren's side of the tent, to look at Cheren and Bianca cuddling together.

"Hey, guys, breakfast is ready if you both are hungry." Ash spoke to them, as Cheren quickly began to stir awake and opened his eyes to realize his current condition of snuggling Bianca. Surprised, Cheren shot up where he was laying down and backed away a bit, his face practically red the whole time.

"Y-Yeah, I'll join for breakfast…" Cheren said, as Bianca moved to sit up as well.

"So will I."

**Several minutes later…**

After Ash, Cheren, and Bianca finished breakfast, Cheren was helping Ash clean up their campsite as Bianca was training some of her Pokémon with the help of Cheren's Purrloin and Patrat, with both of said Pokémon thankfully being much more obedient than his Snivy.

"So, Ash, why aren't you training with Bianca?" Cheren asked, as Ash sighed.

"Well we do have to clean up our campsite, and considering both of us are the heavy lifters of the group it was only natural. Besides, you looked like you needed some distance from Bianca for a moment." Ash told Cheren, as Cheren's face got a little red as he helped Ash finish packing up the tent.

"Um, well, s-she sort of asked me to sleep next to her last night when she was getting cold…" Cheren admitted, as Ash blinked.

"… And?" Ash asked, as Cheren pushed his glasses up a bit, although not in an annoyed way.

"She, well, began to get a little uncomfortable sleeping last night… She told me she wasn't used to sleeping in a place like this, or the fact that unless we happened to crash in a Pokémon Center due to timing during our journey across Unova, well… she's going to be like this for at least a few days." Cheren told Ash the rest of what she talked with him about last night, as Ash nodded.

"Well, as much as I would personally be willing to help her calm down, she seems to trust you quite a lot." Ash told Cheren.

"… Though you're the one she's closest to, and yet I'm the guy among us who freaks out with being alone with her." Cheren admitted, as he sighed. "I just want to stop feeling so timid around her at times like this, since she really seemed to see something in me that she doesn't see in you…" Cheren told Ash, as Ash chuckled a bit.

"To tell you the truth, Cheren, she used to actually have a crush on me once a few years back, but she stopped when I told her that you deserved her more than I did. At the time, I… just really wasn't ready for somebody to be that close with me, and you were the one with the self-confidence issues at the time and-"

"Okay, Ash, if we're to continue getting along on this trip, let's not bring up the past in such a way about me. I admit it, yes, I was like that, but I don't want to be reminded of it." Cheren spoke, as Ash's Pidove landed on Cheren's head, curiously tilting her head down to look at Cheren's face.

"Plus… your Pidove is kind of getting on my nerves." Cheren admitted, as Ash sighed, prompting him to hold his right arm outward, as this caught Pidove's attention as she flew off of Cheren's head and landed on Ash's wrist, and gave Ash a bit of an idea.

"Hey, how's about we join Bianca in training now that we're finished wrapping things up here?" Ash asked, with him and Cheren having finished with packing everything up into their respective bags, as Ash called out Oshawott from his Poké Ball.

Oshawott, silently squeaking, key word being silently, looked up at Ash, as Cheren also called out Snivy from her Poké Ball.

"Alright, let's go."

At the clearing along Route 2, Ash, Bianca, and Cheren were all practicing having their Pokémon learn new moves with several wooden targets set up, with a solid rock being used as the target for Ash's Pidove.

"Pidove! Let's try it again, Steel Wing!" Ash called, as Pidove flew up into the air, her wings partially beginning to glow in a metallic fashion, as she dived down towards the targets from the air. As she did, though, her wings reverted back to normal, which she quickly noticed as she flew upwards to avoid crashing like she did earlier. Ash, sighing, looked up at Pidove.

"Pidove, listen, you can't be scared like that! I know it's a much tougher target than what the others are using, but you have to be brave on this one!" Ash told her, as Pidove flew down towards Ash with a look of uncertainty, as Pidove's left wing was still bandaged up from before, as Ash held out his right arm again for Pidove to perch there again, looking towards her when she landed on his wrist.

"Look, Pidove, I'm no expert on what caused your injury like this, but you're flying a lot better from what I had first found you at Route 1." Ash told her, as he gently laid a finger against Pidove's left wing, to see if she was still hurting from it; no reaction, which prompted Ash to remove the bandaging on it, as Ash gave Pidove a careful nod after hearing her chirp a little bit.

Flying up into the air again, Pidove braced herself to prepare for another test at learning Steel Wing.

"Alright, one last time, and I'll have you rest. Once more! Steel Wing!" Ash called, as Pidove dived down towards the medium sized rock used as her target, her wings glowing an intense, metallic shine, this time not letting loose, as she dove at the rock and caused the rock to shatter upon impact from successfully using Steel Wing.

"Alright! Way to go Pid-" As Ash was in the middle of congratulating her, though, Pidove began to glow with a powerful energy, as Pidove's entire body was encased in light; her wings stretching in size, her tail feathers becoming longer and more noticeable, her head becoming more thickly covered in feathers, and when the glow faded, her body becoming a very bright shade of green compared to the shinier shade of bluish gray her original coloration was.

"… Pidove?" Ash asked, as he pulled out his Pokédex to scan "Pidove".

"Tranquill, the Wild Pigeon Pokémon and the Evolved Form of Pidove. Many people believe that, deep in the forest where Tranquill live, there is a peaceful place where there is no war." The Pokédex spoke, as Ash gazed at Tranquill with a bit of awe.

"Wow…" Cheren suddenly spoke up as he, Purrloin and Patrat, in addition to Bianca and her Lillipup, looked over towards Ash's newly evolved Tranquill, as Tranquill moved to flew onto Ash's right arm again, happily chirping from having regained some of her confidence, as Ash was able to hold up Tranquill on his arm still, even though the Pokédex had told Ash that Tranquill weighed around 33.1 pounds.

"Nice job, Ash!" Bianca cheered, as Cheren nodded.

"So, this is Pidove's first evolution, then? Seems a bit unfair to battle one of you guys in that case. I mean, Cheren may have three Pokémon now, but I have one that's evolved at least once and thus would be at least stronger than at least two unevolved Pokémon, if not more." Ash said, feeding Tranquill a quick treat in the form of a Poké Puff as Tranquill chirped affectionately, while Cheren's Patrat squeaked a bit in approval to what Ash had to say, with Purrloin's meow being more of a neutral statement. Lillipup, though, actually seemed to bark confidently about challenging Ash's Tranquill.

"Oh, is that so, you youngsters?"

Ash, Cheren, and Bianca were startled all of a sudden as they looked around, and eventually saw a rather, tall, lanky man standing atop a tree branch, lacking a shirt, wearing bagging, black and red pants, and wearing a white mask shaped after a Pokémon's head, with odd markings on it giving the feel up fancy make-up, and having a lengthy bundle of red and black hair.

"And… you are…?" Ash asked, as the mysterious, oddly costumed man didn't look neither him, nor Cheren or Bianca, but directly towards Lillipup, Purrloin, and Patrat.

"Hold on a sec, your trainers are confused. Allow me to show myself for a moment." The man spoke, as he grasped his hands together, his pointer fingers laid against each other, as the man suddenly transformed into a different shape entirely in a puff of black and red smoke, with the form seen after the smoke faded being an equally black and red colored Pokémon, with many of the features the human form had having carried over into this form.

Bianca, taking the time to grab her Pokédex, as Cheren and Ash did the same, scans the odd, shapeshifting Pokémon to try and figure out what Pokémon it was.

"Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokémon and the Final Form of Zorua. Each has the ability to fool a large group of people simultaneously. They protect their lair with illusory scenery." After their Pokédex finished detailing on the mysterious Pokémon, they could hear him chuckle in a more deeper, canine-like voice before he suddenly shapeshifted back into his human guise, this time his red and black hair as a human changing into a set of blond hair, and the originally black, baggy pants changing to a silky white with gold trims to them. The chuckling the Zoroark made, continuing as he transformed, maintained a deep sound, yet sounded far more like a human.

"So, I take it you're all surprised by my presence here, yes? Go on, try throwing a Poké Ball at me, I insist! Then I'll get back to answering questions." Zoroark spoke, as Bianca looked towards Cheren and Ash to indicate she'll pass, as Ash and Cheren quickly did a match of Rock/Paper/Scissors, with Cheren winning and Cheren grabbing a Poké Ball from his pouch.

"Alright, this has to be a trick. But I'll give it a shot…" Cheren said, as he clicked the button on the Poké Ball to have it expand to full size.

"Poké Ball, go!" He called, as he tossed the Poké Ball at Zoroark, as Zoroark was forced back into his true form upon impact, and the black and red smoke being absorbed along with him into the Poké Ball's center as it closed around him… only for the Poké Ball to suddenly glow red with a buzz sound and open back up and release Zoroark from confinement.

"So, you already have a trainer?" Cheren asked, as Zoroark shrugged.

"Sort of. I'm in a bit of self-exile at the moment due to… reasons. All I am allowed to say to you three without blowing my cover is that this won't be the last time we meet… Especially you, young Oshawott. Either way, he probably already knows I'm here. I am the one who taught him many of my languages I know." Zoroark gave away, as Ash actually caught onto the hint, all the while Oshawott's normally stoic expression changed to a slightly confused one.

"So, wait, you're saying you belong to that N guy?" Ash asked, as Zoroark chuckled and nodded.

"Why, yes. Yes I am. That's just part of the reason he can understand me as a Pokémon, though." Zoroark confessed, as Cheren raised an eyebrow.

"Then how are you are able to speak English?" Cheren and Bianca both asked at once, as Zoroark remained silent.

"I've learned it over the last century's time. I'm rather experienced with how you humans work, and all; I just only wish my trainer saw more eye to eye with me in that regard." Zoroark admitted, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca, knowing full well that Zoroark was trying to hide for real given the fact had N truly wanted to, when he had challenged Ash to a battle back in Accumula Town, N could've easily used Zoroark in the battle at any time.

"Still, though, it's actually amazing a Pokémon can actually talk and such, especially one like yourself." Bianca said, as suddenly something Zoroark had said earlier had caught her attention again. "By the way, what did you mean by when you were talking to our Pokémon for a moment after Ash had brought up his Tranquill?" Bianca asked, as Lillipup barked towards Zoroark, who nodded in understanding, whereas Patrat and Purrloin's reactions means their comments didn't change.

"The guy in the glass's Patrat understands that he's not a match for Tranquill, Purrloin is vain and neutral about the idea, and Lillipup is just asking for a fight in general. If he still so believes he wants to put up a fight, I'll strike a deal; tell nobody I was here, and then…" Zoroark spoke, before suddenly transforming again in a puff of red and black smoke, before taking on the exact same appearance of Ash's Tranquill.

"… I'll give him that fight on my own."

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 7: Arrival to Striaton City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a run in with a Zoroark, Ash and co. finally arrive at Striaton City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

After an early morning's training, Ash and co. have encountered a Zoroark who apparently belongs to N. However, said Zoroark is in exile as he puts it, and now is about to challenge Bianca to a battle with her Lillipup again Zoroark. Zoroark, though, had taken the form of Ash's Tranquill and decided to fight him on those terms.

"So, what's it going to be, Lillipup? Still eager to fight?" Zoroark spoke in the voice of his human form, which somewhat unnerved Lillipup regarding the fact Zoroark was transformed into a Shiny Tranquill and all, but he didn't let that bother him at all just yet.

As Lillipup barked towards Zoroark, he looked up at Bianca, who nodded to Lillipup.

"Alright, we'll face you. I'm onto you, though..." Bianca told Zoroark, as she pointed towards him. "Pokémon, go!" Bianca called, as Lillipup braced himself for battle, and making an entry with Take Down, but Zoroark had other ideas.

"Not so fast!" Zoroark spoke, as suddenly he rushed forward and struck at Lillipup first with Sucker Punch, only to immediately get hit with Lillipup's Take Down immediately afterwards, pushing both Pokémon back quite a distance, as Zoroark's disguise broke and revealed Zoroark's true form.

"Heh, reckless young one, aren't ya? Well, I can handle that." Zoroark muttered to himself, as Lillipup responded with rapid barking, which seemed to have ticked off Zoroark.

"Oh, you're saying I need to be rougher? Fine then, be my guest!" Zoroark spoke, as his arms glowed with an intense, red aura, his eyes suddenly glowing blue, before he slammed both his hands down to utilize Night Daze and unleash a powerful, pitch-back shockwave against Lillipup, which sent Lillipup flying back into a tree from the impact of the attack.

"Lillipup!" Bianca gasped, as she was surprised to see Lillipup barking more intensely to Zoroark, as Zoroark merely laughed.

"What's that? Can't exactly understand you when you're still such a young wimp? Do you not understand what I'm going for? Awaken your inner rage!" Zoroark taunted towards Lillipup, he began barking more violently, as Zoroark jumped backwards and waited for Lillipup's next move.

"Hey, I recommend you tell him to back off by this point, because at this point, I think he's had enough of a lesson taught to him." Zoroark told Bianca, as Lillipup moved to charge towards Zoroark yet again… only to stop in his tracks upon seeing Zoroark transform back into human form.

"I'm done." Zoroark said, as he looked down at Lillipup. "You're being too reckless for your own good." Zoroark told Lillipup, as he looked towards Bianca. "And you haven't been giving him any proper orders." Bianca, freezing up a bit at what Zoroark said, sighed a bit as she walked over to Lillipup to pick him up, taking out a potion from her bag and carefully tending to his wounds.

"I'm sorry, the battle was just so sudden." Bianca told Zoroark, as Zoroark groaned a bit.

"You have a lot to learn, pretty one…" Zoroark told her, making Bianca, and Cheren, cringe a little at that last remark.

"May I recommend you politely leave her alone and allow all of us to actually train our Pokémon before you battle us?" Cheren asked, as Zoroark looked over towards Cheren.

"Well, if you say so, I'll just-"

"Wait up a second!" Ash said, in a calm tone as he looked at Zoroark, causing the Illusion Fox Pokémon to turn in his direction.

"What?"

"I'll battle you with Tranquill if you're really looking for something to do, Zoroark." Ash offered, as Tranquill looked towards Zoroark and tilted her head a little to the side, as Zoroark huffed a bit at the idea.

"As nice of an offer that is, Ash, I'm only interested in facing your Oshawott." Zoroark told him, as Ash blinked.

"Why Oshawott, if I might ask?" Ash asked, as Zoroark chuckled a little.

"Because out of your current team, he shows the most actual potential. Trust me, I can see him taking down an entire gym where he has a type advantage and only getting hit once. That's how much potential he truly has." Zoroark told Ash, as he quickly jumped up into a tree branch, his arms crossed as he leaned his back against the tree.

"As for when the fight will occur, it won't be any time soon, trust me. I want Oshawott to grow some more in strength before I ultimately decide to want to fight him." Zoroark said with a slight chuckle, as Zoroark was about ready to move to leave, before Ash interrupted.

"Hey, wait, if I can ask something important real quick…" Ash began to ask, "Is N doing alright?" Ash asked, as Zoroark looked at Ash weirdly, jumping down right in front of him to see if he was truly serious.

"Say what, now?" Zoroark asked, as Ash didn't change his expression at all at that remark.

"I'm asking if N's doing alright. I mean, he seems rather bothered from when I first met him, something about him believing humans and Pokémon should never be together." Ash explained, as Zoroark got what he was getting to by now.

"Ah… Figured you'd ask that. I wouldn't let that worry you just yet. I just wish he could calm down at times, but really, as much as I like your desire to help at the moment, I can't let you be under attack from the same people whom I'm hiding from." Zoroark told Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Team Plasma, right?" Ash asked, as Zoroark silently cringed at the words, as he finally replied.

"Yeah, let's leave it at that." Zoroark told Ash, as he again moved to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Ash interrupted again, as Zoroark rolled his eyes behind his human form's mask.

"What now, Ash?"

"How do you know our names?"

"Your Pokémon was saying them in their own language." Zoroark said, before finally leaving for real this time, as Ash stood there silently, thinking about something that was somewhat bugging him.

' _So N's being harassed by Team Plasma? Those guys don't seem like very nice people at all… Still, I can't help but wonder why Zoroark chose now to speak with us…'_  Ash thought to himself, as Cheren interrupted.

"As nice of a meeting this was with such a strange Pokémon, I do believe we should finish packing up our campsite and be on the go." Cheren spoke up, as Ash looked at him and nodded.

"Seems like a good idea, anyways. Besides, if we end up staying here for too much longer, we'll end up sleeping in a tent again tonight." Bianca said, as Ash and Cheren were going to say something on that matter, but quickly dropped it considering what they realized behind Bianca's words regarding that.

"Alright, let's finish packing up and leave for Striaton City." Ash spoke, as the group began to gather what wasn't already packed up and ready to take on the go and prepared to leave.

Within an hour's walk, Ash, Cheren, and Bianca arrived at Striaton City. The outside temperature had warmed up a lot as they entered the city, and thus Bianca was more at ease with herself considering last night.

"So, this is Striaton City?" Ash asked, as Cheren nodded as he looked at the map.

"Looks like it."

"By the way, aren't we supposed to meet Fennel here?" Bianca asked, as Ash and Cheren looked at her and blinked.

"… Who?" They both said in unison, as Bianca sighed.

"… You both ran out of the Pokémon Center before she could finish asking us to meet her, didn't you?" Bianca asked, as Ash and Cheren nervously laughed.

"… Sorry about that… Team Plasma's gathering outside sort of caught us off guard." Cheren told Bianca, as Bianca sighed.

"It's alright, at least now you both know we have to meet somebody here in addition to challenging the Gym Leader." Bianca told them, as she looked and noticed Ash was missing from where she last saw him standing, as she looked around and looked as Ash was caught looking at three, odd looking statues.

"Uh, guys, you might want to come over here." Ash said, as Tranquill burst out of her Poké Ball and looked upon the statues as Ash quickly held his right arm out and allowed her to perch there, as Bianca and Cheren walked up to look at the three statues which were beginning to come to life as both of them had approached. The statues were in the shape of three, very similar, monkey looking Pokémon.

_((Speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil.))_

**To be continued…**


	9. Chapter 8: In Water, in Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the gang is introduced to Fennel, Ash's Pichu Egg begins to feel abnormal thoughts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

As soon as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca had approached the statues of the monkey-like Pokémon, they immediately came to life after their seemingly rocky exterior fell apart. As prompted by their awakening, Ash and co. used their respective Pokédex to scan the three Pokémon.

"Pansage, the Grass Monkey Pokémon. It shares the leaf on its head with weary-looking Pokémon. These leaves are known to relieve stress."

"Pansear, the High Temp Pokémon. This Pokémon lives in caves in volcanoes. The fire within the tuft on its head can reach 600°F."

"Panpour, the Spray Pokémon. It does not thrive in dry environments. It keeps itself damp by shooting water stored in its head tuft from its tail."

The three Pokémon looked down at Bianca, Ash, and Cheren respectively as they cheerfully leapt towards them and prepared for battle.

"Looks like they want to battle us." Cheren spoke, about ready to draw out Purrloin's Poké Ball, as all three of them heard something not far away.

"Hey, hold up a second!" A girl spoke as she ran up towards Ash and co. "They don't want to fight you, they want to join your side." She explained, as Ash blinked.

"Um… A-Are you sure about that?" Ash asked, as he was acting… off, at the moment, which Cheren quickly noticed.

"Oh what, so you're saying I need to man up when speaking to a girl alone and here you are having trouble speaking to a girl right now?" Cheren asked Ash, not trying to sound rude, but he did say what he could without trying to imply anything directly.

"Yeah, these are three Pokémon I've trained with the intent on donating them to challengers of the gym. In fact, they're also the same species of Pokémon used by the gym leaders themselves. How neat is that?" She spoke up, before noticing Ash's expression at the moment.

"Hey, are you alright…?" She asked, as Ash stuttered a bit, before slapping himself all of a sudden, and finally calming down afterwards.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about zoning out there." Ash said, as he calmed down, before looking at Pansear in particular. "So, you're actually alright if we take these Pokémon as our own?" Ash asked again for clarification, as the girl giggled.

"Of course, no need to be so selfless about it! You can choose which one of the three you want to train and then you'll have a new Pokémon to challenge the Gym Leader with!" She offered, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca nodded.

"Do you want anything in return miss, uh…"

"Giselle." She introduced, she added in, "And no, I don't want anything in return. I just want to know that these three Pokémon finally have good trainers to look after them, that's all…" She spoke, as Ash looked at her and blinked, as did Cheren and Bianca.

"Why? What happened?" Bianca asked, as Giselle sighed.

"Well… you see… Somebody abandoned them here after ordering them to use Substitute to allow their original trainer to get away. He seemed to be saying one thing consistently, though; he wanted to avoid some people called "Team Plasma" if I remember correctly." Giselle explained, as she looked at Ash and co. again to get a final answer.

"So will you be so kind and-"

"Yes! We'd be honored to take care of them!" Ash and co. said at once, startling Giselle a bit with their answer.

**Later, at a restaurant in the city…**

"So, you know of these Team Plasma folk?" Giselle asked, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca nodded.

"One of the people we know didn't want us spreading word just yet, but we're a bit familiar with the fact they're apparently harassing some trainers behind their nicer side they show in public." Ash explained, as Bianca and Cheren nodded.

"That, and this one trainer in particular has had one of his Pokémon go missing as a result of Team Plasma's interference in his life." Cheren explained, being careful as to not even remotely bring up N or Zoroark from before.

"Sounds like a bunch of tall tales to me, but I wouldn't deny it, either." A man from another table suddenly spoke up, as he showed a robust, aged look and having white, lengthy hair. "Although I'd more than inclined to see if I can help at all once I get the chance." He spoke up, as he picked up the newspaper in front of him to resume reading the news, with Ash noticing that the man in question had an identical twin sitting next to him, but didn't want to be rude and simply remained quiet and sticking with his own group and Giselle to talk to.

"… So… Anyways, you said that Team Plasma caused a man to abandon three of their Pokémon out on the streets? Are they really harassing people that much?" Ash asked, as Giselle nodded.

"Yeah. In fact, I've heard from a friend that they're trying to go after a mysterious energy in the Dreamyard just outside of the city's premises." Giselle began to explain, as Bianca looked at her.

"If there's anything more you can tell us, we'd be glad to listen." Bianca asked, as Giselle nodded and began to talk a bit more about what she's heard about Team Plasma. Meanwhile the two men sitting at the other table silently talked between themselves.

"Were you certain hiding here was a good idea?" One of them asked, as the other groaned a bit.

"Trust me, our senior member has this in the bag. Besides, we didn't come here to hide. We came on a whim… To vent… To pass time… It doesn't matter. Now just sit back, relax, and eat while we can before we're too late to see the Gym Leaders go up against our targets…" The other spoke, as both of them silently began to eat their meal, as one of the restaurant owners, a man in green hair with green eyes, handed them their plates of food, before moving to the next table with Ash and co.

"So, I see you four are a talkative bunch. Are you here to challenge the Gym?" The man asked, as Ash nodded.

"Yeah, we were told this Restaurant was also a gym, so we didn't waste time in heading here to prepare for our Gym Leader challenge with whoever is in charge." Ash told the man. "My name is Ash, by the way, and my two friends here are Bianca and Cheren, and this here is Giselle, who helped show us around." Ash introduced, as Giselle was about to stand to leave.

"Well, I'm glad we got to meet, Ash, but I need to get going. Let's just say when you're one of many girls who idolizes the gym leaders in this city, well… You've better run while you can before the less sane fans come screaming." Giselle said, as she began to walk out of the place, before turning to Ash and winking at him, before she was gone soon after.

"Wait… Gym Leader **s** …?" Bianca asked, as right behind the green haired man appeared two other men with red and blue hair respectively.

"Yes, this Gym has three leaders, and which of us you face, out of Chili, Cress, and myself, Cilan, are determined by who your starter Pokémon was." Cilan explained to them, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca nodded in understanding.

"So basically, I'll challenge you because my starter is Oshawott, Bianca will challenge Cress because her starter is Tepig, and Cheren will challenge Chili because his starter is Snivy, correct?" Ash asked, to which the three Striaton brothers nodded.

"Precisely! Although, if you're looking for a Gym Battle, you three probably should've showed up at the courtyard area of the place. The rest of the building is just a Restaurant that my brothers and I own, after all." Cress explained to them.

"But regardless, we'll be looking forward to the battle either way!" Chili spoke up, as Cheren nodded.

"I'm looking forward to it as well, since the sooner I get my first badge, the less it'll take for me to become the Champion of Unova." Cheren said, as Bianca nodded.

"So, could we arrange a time for the match to take place?" The three brothers asked, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca began to discuss a schedule for today's gym battle; their first gym battle.

**Sometime before the first match…**

"So, Ash, mind telling me why you sort of froze when Giselle was with us earlier?" Cheren asked Cheren, as he was walking through the city with Bianca in tow trying to find Fennel's house, as they were nearing Fennel's house.

"Well, for one, I'm not exactly used to talking to girls that are not anybody I already knew…" Ash said, as Cheren raised an eye.

"… And?" Cheren asked, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, as Ash visibly flinched.

"W-Well, u-um… s-she's cute, I'll say that much…" Ash admitted, as Cheren sighed.

"She's cute? That's it? Here I figured you'd be more interested. I mean, surely there's somebody you're interested in in life, right?" Bianca asked Ash, as Ash had a faint blush on his face after that remark.

"Well, um, er… You see… There's this OTHER girl I recall seeing on TV as a kid, during one of the World Tournaments. She seemed about my age at the time as well, and her name was M-"

Before Ash could finish what he was saying, he was caught off guard by crashing into someone due to not paying attention to where he was going.

"Oh! S-Sorry, I didn't mean to-"Ash said, as he noticed the person getting up, a woman around Juniper's age with dark violet hair, and her eyes closed, as she had what appeared to be some kind of Pokémon attached to her head.

"Um… Cheren, mind checking the Pokédex while I help her up?" Ash asked, as he moved to help up the mysterious woman he crashed into, as Cheren checked his Pokédex to see the type of Pokémon that was on her head.

"Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon. It eats the dreams of people and Pokémon. When it eats a pleasant dream, it expels pink-colored mist." The Pokédex explained, as Bianca eyed the Pokémon with keen interest.

"I'll say this much, it looks incredibly adorable!" Bianca said, as she moved to grab the Pokémon off of the trainer's head, as the small, pink colored Pokémon let out a mooing sound of sorts. Just as she removed the Pokémon from the woman's head, the woman's eyes opened up as she looked down at Ash, Bianca, and Cheren.

"Ah, so you three must be the new trainers that Juniper informed me of. My name is Fennel." Fennel introduced, as she held out her hand.

"I'm Ash. With me are Bianca and Chere-AH!" Ash was introducing themselves until Fennel dragged him into her own home, which doubled as her lab, with Bianca and Cheren following them both.

"So you must be the scientist we're to be looking for, yes?" Bianca asked, as Fennel looked back at her and nodded.

"So you research the dreams of trainers?" Cheren asked, as Fennel nodded again.

"Precisely, Cheren! I'm glad you already knew. Do you want a demonstration? Is that alright with you, Ash?" Fennel asked of both of them, as Ash stuttered a bit as he was let go of once they reached the top floor of the building that Fennel occupied. Inside showed a lot of her laboratory equipment, including a monitor which is hooked up to a Munna.

"I apologize if I'm rushing things at all, guys. It's just, well, I'm excited that my old college colleague has new trainers to help with her project on the Pokédex." Fennel said, a little too excited for her own good regarding her tone.

"So, if I let you examine my mind, could you possibly check all of our Pokémon as well?" Ash asked, as he prompted for Bianca and Cheren to let out their Pokémon, Bianca calling out Tepig and Lillipup, Cheren letting out Snivy, Purrloin, and Patrat, and Ash letting out Oshawott and Tranquill.

"Oh? So you want me to examine your Pokémon as well? Perhaps I can do that step first, then. I can work better with Pokémon at times more than just trainers, so I can get through them easily. Really, though, my own personal dream is to see if a Pokémon Egg can dream at all." Fennel admitted, as Ash got an idea, quickly putting down his backpack and grabbing the incubator and taking Pichu's Egg out of the incubator.

"Would this work?" Ash asked, as Fennel practically squealed at the sight of Ash's Pichu Egg.

"Oh my! I was never informed by Juniper that you had a Pokémon egg with you!"

"Yeeeah… He sort of never told us until after we left Accumula Town, though he did at least intend to try and tell us earlier." Cheren explained, as Fennel carefully picked up the egg to place beside Munna.

"Alright, Musha! Time to examine this developing Pokémon's dream!" Fennel cheered, as Munna, nicknamed Musha, grabbed hold of the top of Pichu's egg with her mouth and trunk attaching to it, her Psychic abilities causing her to temporarily glow a little… As Musha began to freak out and emit black smoke from the pink spot on her head.

"HUH?! What's going on?!" Ash asked, as he looked at the monitor, as the monitor began to showcase a cavern of sorts, with the inside of the cave being pitch black save for electrical currents from oddly shaped rocks causing some places to illuminate.

"It looks like your Pokémon is having a nightmare, and-"

**{I'll get you… Pokémon…}**

A voice, appearing to originate from the monitor showcasing the egg's dream, began to deliver audio from some unknown source, as a very shady figuring was briefly seen in the corner of the screen, before it disappeared, with the view point of the unborn Pichu following the strange, pitch black being to see what was going on.

' _Why is Pichu going near it…?!'_  Ash thought, freaking out from the fact Pichu is experiencing this in its dreams.

 **{Even if in fire, in water, in grass…}**  The voice spoke, as the voice was soon made clear to sound very robotic and monotone in sound, despite its quiet, tranquil emotions it displayed.

 **{In ground, in clouds… in that girl's skirt!}**  Without warning, the Pokémon in shadow suddenly charged somebody in the distance, and the moment it finished its line, a girl's horrified scream was heard as what sounded like a mauling took place out of view of Pichu. This alone had Bianca holding onto Cheren in fright, with Cheren's eyes wide as to what he was even seeing.

"Fennel, what is the meaning of this…? What is Pichu dreaming about?!" Ash asked, his tone clearly that of panic since he had no idea why a Pokémon, still in an egg, was experiencing a nightmare involving a practically murderous Pokémon hunting itself down. Fennel, confused, frightened, yet equally curious as to what Pichu was dreaming, calmed Musha's panic until any of them said they couldn't see any more of what was being shown…

 **{It's very, very… very, VERY… difficult...}**  The last word was drained out as a loud, scrapping noise was heard, as it sounded like solid metal was being scratched against a rocky surface. From Pichu's point of view, the view on the strange Pokémon began to show itself, but it was still too dark to see entirely. From what could be seen, the Pokémon had a metallic, single toed set of legs, and long, semi-bladed arms with ending in a single claw. The Pokémon stood very tall, with the back and head of the Pokémon obscured by some large sized, metallic structure attached to its back.

As the Pokémon turned its gaze at an alarming speed, it's red, bug-like eyes were seen glowing in the dark, as Pichu moved to duck behind a rock to hide. Without much warning, the strange, almost robotic Pokémon moved closed towards Pichu in a very, very slow fashion.

**{I'm sure I'll get you…}**

As Pichu was trying to hide, the Pokémon pushed the rock aside with a great amount of strength, with a powerful surge of energy appearing above the Pokémon's head, illuminating its purple body, the robotic structure, and the overall Bug-like appearance it had. The energy glowed with an increasingly intensity, revealing the structure on its back to be a cannon.

**{I'll get you, Pokémon!}**

**To be continued…**


	10. Chapter 9: Ignition of Aura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash learns he is capable of things from which he does not currently, truly understand...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

Several seconds before Musha let go of Pichu's egg, the screen showcasing Pichu's dream went to black, and for a moment, Ash's mind went to worry, and was too focused on Pichu's safety to even bother noticing something… off… about himself… he didn't realize it, but the others could feel an intense energy beginning to build up…

_((… P-Pichu…?))_

With that, a somewhat loud noise was heard across the room, as suddenly a powerful field of energy caused objects to scatter across the room, with Ash himself unfazed by what had happened…

_((Pichu?! PICHU!))_

… For he was the one who unwittingly cause said field of energy to appear, as it was now surrounding his whole body, with his eyes glowing an intense gold from his usual brown eyes.

_((P-Pichu…! Hang in there! Don't die on me at a time like this! Wake up, PLEASE!))_

"Ash? Mind telling me what's going on with your hands? And your eyes?!" Cheren asked, as Ash snapped out of his trance-like state to realize what was going on around him; several bundles of papers and books were spread across the room, as Ash didn't realize it, but everyone; Fennel, Bianca, and Cheren, their own Pokémon, were all looking at him.

"What? What's wrong? Pichu's the one in trouble, not me!" Ash said in a bit of panic, triggering a loud, sparking sound to emit from Ash's right hand, as Ash blinked when he realized it this time around, slowly looking down at his hand and noticing a small, bluish flame beginning to manifest in Ash's hand.

 _((ACK! Oshawott! Use Water Gun on me!))_  Ash asked Oshawott, although it appeared as if Oshawott didn't notice him, and when Ash heard a different noise, his senses finally calmed, and the flame-like substance appearing from his hands dissipated, as Ash turned towards Pichu's egg, noticing it beginning to move noticeably.

"Wow… D-Did Ash somehow trigger that?" Bianca asked, as Cheren blinked.

"Well he did cause himself to partially ignite with some kind of fire, but how, on the other hand, I don't know." Cheren brought up to Ash's attention, as Ash looked back at Cheren.

_((Wait, I was on fire?! How'd that happen?! Also, why is nobody hearing me and-))_

_((Oh for Arceus' sake, OPEN YOUR MOUTH ALREADY, IDIOT!))_  A voice yelled into Ash's head, startling him for a moment, as Ash did just as what he was told and blinked once he became aware of the fact he apparently wasn't speaking with his mouth at all, and ye.

"Hey, uh, guys, I have to ask… Did any of you hear what I was saying within the past minute?" Ash asked Bianca, Cheren, and Fennel.

"I'm afraid not, Ash… It's a mystery even to me. Whatever you just did to level part of the room of some research papers is beyond my own knowledge, but I will inform Juniper nevertheless unless you want me to keep this a secret." Fennel told Ash, as Ash looked over at Bianca and Cheren.

"We didn't hear you say anything either…" Bianca said, as Cheren nodded.

"Although, what were you trying to say? It seemed like you were ready to give Oshawott an order but didn't try to open your mouth at all to give said order…" Cheren told Ash, as Ash looked over towards Pichu's egg, and noticed it beginning to move again.

"Well, then, if we can't explain anything about what I had apparently done without my own knowledge… is Pichu close to hatching from its egg?" Ash asked, as he walked over to pick up Pichu's egg from the stand it was placed on, but hesitated at first when doing so.

"Um, Ash, maybe you shouldn't try and touch anything so soon after-" Cheren began to say from a bit of panic, but when he saw Ash pick up Pichu's eggs, and while Ash's hand did in fact appear to combust into the same ominous, blue colored flames, Pichu's egg began to glow all of a sudden.

The flames on Ash's hands slowly dissipating, Ash and the others watched as the egg began to change in shape entirely, and forming into the body is a very small, yellow and black colored Pokémon with diamond shaped ears, and a very small, rectangular tail.

"Pi? Pichu!" The small Pokémon spoke with glee, looking up at Ash as the small Electric type cuddled up into Ash's hands, with Ash practically sighing of relief that Pichu is alright after what nightmare he had seen Pichu go through mere moments ago.

"Thank goodness you're alright…" Ash whispered, as he carefully carried Pichu out towards the others and away from the machine where Musha was, and looking at the others, who all at least were partially freaked out.

"Um… Perhaps after we clean up you can fill me on what I did?" Ash asked, as Cheren and Bianca nodded.

"Well, I did have one last thing to give you before you go, though." Fennel said, as she handed the three of them an electronic chip of sorts, which Cheren was the first to take and place into the expansion slot of his Xtransceiver.

"So, this is the C-Gear I've read up on, isn't it?" Cheren asked.

"Yes, and with it, you-"

"Can be capable of learning exactly what moves are present on your Pokémon, or scanning wild Pokémon for their moves, as well as to be able to scan the surrounding area for trainers with the C-Gear installed on their own Xtransceiver as well." Cheren interrupted to explain.

"Precisely! There are several other features as well, but one of which I'm afraid no longer has official support ever since last year." Fennel added into Cheren's explanation, as she handed two other C-Gear chips to both Ash and Bianca as well.

One Ash put installed his C-Gear into his Xtransceiver, he was immediate to scan Pichu for its moves, and quickly was able to deduce from the scan that Pichu is a boy as well.

"So… Let's see… Volt Tackle, Disarming Voice, Reversal, Thunder Wave." Ash spoke in a casual tone, as Cheren was taken aback by the type of moveset that Pichu had.

"So, Ash, if I may… Was your mon into breeding Pokémon for battling by any chance?"

"Well… She did say my dad apparently was like that, why?" Ash answered Cheren's question, as Cheren silently sighed, as Bianca looked down a bit, as Ash hide his gaze under his own hat as he looked down at his own, confused looking Pichu.

' _It's a shame none of us know what happened to him…'_

"By the way, I did have at least one thing to ask if you have the time. If you can be so kind as to head to the Dreamyard for me and collect some Dream Mist from the wild Munna living there, I would gladly appreciate it!" Fennel added in, as Ash and co. nodded, as they moved to help clean up after the little incident that had occurred and make their leave. First, though, they had the gym battle to worry about at the moment.

_**Later, a few minutes before their first gym battle…** _

"So, as I was watching the nightmare play out, I was apparently bursting into flames and caused a small shockwave to occur?" Ash asked Cheren and Bianca, just as they heading back to the gym for their first Gym Battle, with the newly hatched Pichu snoozing underneath Ash's hat.

"Yeah, and you were apparently zoning out so much that you didn't even notice how intense it was beginning to get!" Bianca told Ash, as Cheren nodded.

"She's right. Normally I'd be a bit more curious as to what you did, but, for the life of me, I can't figure out a single known explanation to my knowledge as to what you had done for a moment." Cheren told Ash in response to what Bianca said, as Ash looked down a bit as he arrived at the front door of restaurant, and walked inside without saying much to prepare for his gym battle against Cilan.

"Still, though, for some reason… It did feel at least somewhat weird when I finally noticed it… I can't even begin to describe it at this point." Ash said, as they walked towards the room with the courtyard, as Cilan, Chili, and Cress were already waiting for them there.

"Ah, right on time!" Chili spoke up, as Ash and co. nodded in response.

"Yeah, we just had to run an errand real quick for Professor Juniper, so we just hurried back once we were done." Ash told the three brothers, as Bianca and Cheren nodded.

"Alright, then, shall we begin?" Cilan asked as of Ash. "I'll be up first against you, and then your friends will face Chili and Cress afterwards." Cilan explained, as Ash nodded.

"Alright, sounds like a plan!"

With that, Ash and Cilan moved towards their own respective sides of the courtyard's arena, as several observers were clearly fawning over Cilan and his two brothers at the sight of them, although as Ash was looking at them, he had an odd feeling that Giselle was actually present as well even though he didn't see her.

'Odd… I could've sworn I saw Giselle…' He thought, as he moved to face directly towards Cilan.

"Alright then, the rules are simple; the challenger has the right to use the same number of Pokémon as the Gym Leader, and no others than that. In addition, trainers may only switch their Pokémon when they are in a critical condition or unable to battle. Now, with that stated…" Cilan spoke, with him calling out a Lillipup of his own, as Ash called out Oshawott.

"Pokémon, GO!"

**To Be Continued…**


	11. Chapter 10: Trio Badge: Round 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash challenges Cilan to his first Gym Battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

_**Ash VS Cilan…** _

"Pokémon, GO!" Ash and Cilan both called, as Chili, Cress, Bianca, and Cheren were watching from the balcony as to see how well Ash would perform during his battle against Cilan.

"Oshawott! Start off the battle with Razor Shell!" Ash ordered, as Oshawott, breaking his idle stance, suddenly took off his scalchop and charged forward towards Cilan's Lillipup, as Cilan was beginning to grow a bit intimidate by Oshawott's already excellent performance as a battler.

'Not bad, he may actually be able to give Pansage a run for his money without even having to call out his second Pokémon…' Cilan thought, as he made his own move.

"Lillipup, dodge Razor Shell as best as you can and retaliate with Tackle!" Cilan called, as Lillipup barked as to move to dodge, but was taken by surprise with Oshawott's sheer speed he was moving at, as Oshawott suddenly struck Lillipup with his scalchop to send Lillipup flying, only for Oshawott to suddenly speed almost directly behind Lillipup and strike again with Razor Shell.

With both hits, and Lillipup already at a clear disadvantage, Lillipup collapsed to the ground as Oshawott moved back to where he was originally standing and kept up a battle stance to not be caught off guard.

"Is it me or is Oshawott suddenly a bit stronger than from when he was last training with us?" Bianca asked Cheren on the sidelines.

"Looks like it. Then again, he was not in a direct battle for a while since we got here, so it seems like Oshawott has a lot of energy he wants to burn." Cheren told Bianca, as Oshawott was ready for Cilan to send out his next Pokémon, as Ash's eyes began to glow a slight gold for a brief second again, which caught the attention of Bianca and Cheren very quickly.

"Oh no, not again, please not again…" Bianca said.

"Please don't let him make a scene because of that weird power…" Cheren said, as he looked down towards Cilan calling back Lillipup, and drawing out his remaining Pokémon's Poké Ball.

"Alright then, time for the real deal! Pansage, go!" Cilan called, as Cilan called out his last Pokémon, the Grass Type Pansage.

However, even with the obvious type disadvantage Oshawott had, Oshawott was not fazed in the slightest regarding Pansage's emergence.

"Alright, Pansage, you have the advantage here, start off with Work Up to boost your strength!" Cilan ordered, as Pansage began to steam a little with energy from the command, before laughing a little in a primate-like tone to mock Oshawott before him.

"Alright, Oshawott! Use Razor Shell yet again!" Ash commanded, as his eye sparked a bright gold again, this time catching the attention of Cilan this time, as not only were Ash's eyes glowing, but he persisted with using a move that Pansage resisted.

"Feeling a little too confident, aren't we?" Cilan said,  _'Okay this is going to be bothersome, he's up to something here! His eyes were brown last I saw!'_  Cilan thought as he called towards his Pansage.

"Alright, use Vine Whip, Pansage!" Cilan ordered, his tone a little uncertain, as Pansage did what he was told, extending vines from his arms to strike at Oshawott, only for Oshawott to suddenly jump up into the air and slice at the vines with his scalchop, before suddenly moving to spin his way, continuously hacking and slashing, closer to Pansage.

Pansage, seeing this, extended further vines from his arms to strike at Oshawott again, this time actually managing to hit Oshawott… but once Oshawott's face was in view for a second, Oshawott's gaze had a bit of emotionless, yet gleeful look to his face, which made Pansage freak out for a moment.

"Pansage? What's wrong?!" Cilan asked, as Oshawott suddenly struck Pansage with Razor Shell to knock Pansage aside.

"Now, Oshawott, use Water Gun to propel yourself for the finish!" Ash called, as his right arm suddenly began to glow with an intense, blue flame like how it was before at Fennel's lab, which began to make Cilan freak out.

' _What the actual he-'_  Cilain's thoughts were cut off by Oshawott suddenly slamming his scalchop down beneath Pansage and suddenly tossing him up into the air, before suddenly leaping and jumping to strike at Pansage while he was still in the air.

"Wow! I didn't even know you were capable of this much Oshawott! Either way, finish off Pansage with Mysterious Samurai!" Ash ordered, as Oshawott's own body began to glow intensely, as while Oshawott was repeatedly striking the helpless Pansage with Razor Shell repeatedly in the air, when Oshawott appeared above Pansage, his body was now radically different, as he struck at Pansage one last time with Razor Shell to send him into the ground.

Landing on the ground, he set aside not one, but two scalchops onto his sides, as it was clear this was no longer Oshawott doing the fighting.

"Well, then, looks like you've won." Cilan admitted, as he was hiding how surprised he was to see how easily Oshawott turned into a new form had beaten him. Speaking of which, as Ash no longer had his body glowing in any way, pulled out his Pokédex to check the new form Oshawott has evolved into.

"Dewott, the Discipline Pokémon and the Evolved Form of Oshawott. Scalchop techniques differ from one Dewott to another. It never neglects maintaining its scalchops." The Pokédex explained as to Dewott's form, as Dewott's overall, default expression was back to his normal, emotionless expression, although with this particular form, Dewott looked as if he was slightly angered.

"Impressive, I wonder what else that energy is capable of…" Cheren wondered to himself, as Bianca was confused as to what Cheren was thinking.

"First it starts off as a rather frightening event for all of us to witness, and now you're beginning to wonder what this strange energy Ash has access to is truly capable of?" Bianca whispered, as Cheren glanced at her.

"Why don't you ask them?" Cheren told Bianca as he was referring to the awestruck crowd of female trainers… which included Giselle finally visible in Ash's eyesight, and visibly blushing at that.

Ash, looking up at the audience and taking notice of her, wasn't sure how to truly respond, but simply walked up towards Cilan.

"Look, I don't know what came over me, but I have to apologize… I'm still uncertain what I was doing, but I-"

"Deserve the badge, yes, you do." Cilan interrupted, as Ash looked at him in surprise. "Look, while I was taken by surprise as to this technique you have, I will admit; I had never had a trainer face me before with a visible type disadvantage and still manage to win, and all without having to resort to their second Pokémon as well." Cilan said, as he took out a badge from a pocket on his shirt, and hands it to Ash.

"Ash, I present you with your first badge; the Trio Badge!" Cilan said, as Ash looked up at Cilan and didn't know what else to say.

"Look, Cilan, as much as you feel I deserve this, I don't feel like I deserve it at all; I ended up using some kind of power to allow Oshawott to win, and believe me, I don't have any known control over it either. It's just not something I'm ready for." Ash said, as Cilan shook his head.

"Trust me, only Ketchum's own son could truly pull off a victory like this; me and my brothers had to deal with your father back in the day when our parents were in charge of the gym, and let just me say, that your father wasn't any different from how in sync with your Pokémon you were here." Cilan said, as he looked at Dewott walking up towards Ash, glancing up towards his trainer and nodding in approval.

"You… Knew my dad?" Ash said, looking at Cilan seriously, who nodded.

"Yeah, and even though he was rather difficult to talk to at times, he knew a lot of how to raise his own Pokémon with potential that none of us had ever seen before… until you ultimately arrived to battle here. Seeing you showcase a mere fragment of the skill used by your father, it was very clear that I had known he did not go missing without leaving someone impressive behind to fill in his shoes." Cilan explained, as Ash felt amazed to hear this for the first time.

' _All of this time mom kept trying to convince me he was a pathetic trainer…'_  Ash thought to himself, as he finally took hold of the Trio Badge now that he realized he could truly accept it after all.

"Alright! My first Gym Badge!" Ash called, holding up the badge for all to see, as Dewott held up both of his scalchops in the air, as the crowd of trainers cheered for Ash, as Bianca, and Cheren were cheering along with them.

As Ash walked back upstairs to the crowd, Bianca moved to head towards her own match, as when Ash was in the audience, his eyes, very briefly, flashed gold again as Ash turned to notice Giselle standing beside him, with Cheren standing to on Ash's other side as he watched what would go on, both between Bianca against Cress, but also what Ash and Giselle.

"Hey, if it's alright with you, we could possibly, u-um…" Ash began to ask Giselle, as Giselle looked at him and began to blush a lot more.

"A-As much as I'd like to do so… I-I… feel unworthy now that I think of it… Before I thought you were just an ordinary beginner… Now, though… I think I can't even match your own league at all… But I do feel like you at least deserve something…" Giselle began to go on about, as Ash looked at her and blinked.

"What do you me-" Before Ash could even finish what he had to say, he was cut off immediately…

… By a pair of lips suddenly gracing his cheek; Giselle had kissed Ash on his cheek very, very affectionately. Ash, uncertain of how to respond, stuttered a bit once Giselle backed away to see his reaction, as Ash felt too dazed to think at the moment. Moving his arms onto the rail to let his head rest, Cheren couldn't help but snicker silently to himself.

' _Looks like I need to step up my own game at this rate, but whether it be for earning all eight badges, or from… er… conflicting emotions I have with Bianca at the moment, I don't know for certain which to focus on at the moment.'_

Speaking of Bianca, Cheren turned his gaze towards Bianca to begin to watch her own battle with Cress, with Cress sending out a Purrloin and Bianca sending out Pansage both of them were preparing for their own battle, but even then, both of them had to think of one way to please the watching crowd.

"Pokémon, GO!"

_**Meanwhile…** _

"So, is getting the Dream Mist going as planned?" The two, mysterious, white haired men said as they approached their leader.

"Yes… and no." He began to speak. "I have some of the Dream Mist, but it's too raw in nature to be of any use to Team Plasma's efforts." The leader spoke, as the one man groaned.

"Then why the heck are the two grunts still searching around for a Munna?!" The one yelled, as the leader sighed.

"Grunts will be grunts… Besides, it's not like we're not reporting to Ghetsis without anything to inform him off either way." The leader spoke, as he looked at the other, equally shady man, who nodded in response.

"The one named Ash… He's just like the man who interfered with Ghetsis's beginning plots from 16 years prior. Should we-"

"No. Keep it silent for now. We don't know the full extent of Ash's abilities. We could easily tell Ghetsis, but you know how he'll react to a trainer who is insignificant at this point, so we have no need to tell him..." The leader ordered.

"For now, at least… He may become a threat later… Even to Lord N's own plans to seek out the truth..."

**To Be Continued…**


	12. Chapter 11: Trio Badge: Rounds 2 and 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheren challenges Chili, Bianca challenges Cress, and Ash prepares to meet a new face who knows about him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

_**Bianca VS Cress…** _

Ash was quietly watching Bianca at her challenge against Cress, as Cheren too was watching as well. However, whereas the rest of the crowd was in the form of a mostly female audience… there soon turned up another male in the

"Why is she using that Pokémon?" The new observer spoke, as Ash was quick to notice his presence.

"Does it matter? She's just using a Pokémon that another friend and I also got after another trainer had abandoned them." Ash spoke, as he watched Bianca's battle, watching her order her own Pansage to use Vine Whip against Cress's Purrloin, as Pansage gained a rather… "evil" smirk upon grabbing hold of Purrloin, and immediately began to spin Purrloin with his vine's grasps and toss the feline to the ground, before Purrloin was quick to retaliate with scratch against Pansage.

The observing newcomer, though, was not all that pleased.

"And yet you all haven't learned a thing about what Team Plasma has begun to have been telling us all, haven't you?" He spoke again, as this time Cheren's attention was caught this time.

"You're the one who abandoned them, aren't you?" Cheren asked in a rather cold tone, as the other "trainer" simply chuckled.

"You could say that… Or you could say that Team Plasma sort of forced me to get rid of the three Pokémon I had… Either way, I don't truly feel like myself anymore after I had tried to attack them at the Dreamyard…"

_Walking through the Dreamyard with Pansear in tow, the male trainer was gritting his teeth when he heard the pained cries of a Munna in the nearby vicinity. Eventually finding who was responsible first hand, the trainer had his Pansear ready to attack._

" _Alright, Pansear! Let's get them for trying to attack that Munna!" He spoke, as the two Team Plasma grunts slowly looked towards the trainer, with a third, previously unseen female member grinning at the boy._

" _So some 11 year old thinks he's going to boss us around, I don't think he understands the whole situation." She spoke, and the next thing the boy noticed about this situation was the female Team Plasma grunt's uniform; it looked nothing like the other two's outfits._

" _So, what's with the freaking black dress on you? Why not the same uniform I saw on the other female grunts in Pinwheel Forest?" He spoke, as the female Team Plasma grunt chuckled a bit._

" _Do you think we're doing this for no reason, or do you legitimately believe you speak for your own Pokémon rather than letting them do any of their own thinking?" She asked, as the trainer's guard somewhat dropped._

" _I don't care what your goal is, because if you don't stop this nonsense with harming Munna over there, I'm going to kick your ass on my own!" He shouted, as the girl chuckled again. "What's so funny anyways?!" He asked._

" _Well, for one, you're speaking some rather tough words for somebody who barely even knows who we are… But let me ask you again; are you Pokémon just as willing to follow your orders at any given point? Do you really want to test that?" She taunted, as she moved to spin for a moment, showcasing to the trainer that she had no Poké Balls on her belt._

" _Well, yes! Yes I do! Pansear! Attack with Incinerate!" He ordered, as Pansear… didn't do anything, and just stood there and dropped his guard._

" _Ugh! Hang on, I'll have Pansage handle this!" The trainer spoke, as he let out Pansage from his Poké Ball, as when he did, the seemingly aggressive Pansage did absolutely nothing to the imposing Team Plasma Grunt, and simply stood there. The trainer, rather livid, sent out his next Pokémon in a bit of desperation._

" _Alright, Panpour! Attack! Don't let their words get to you like the other two!" He called, as Panpour was released from her Poké Ball, and like the other two, did absolutely nothing in regards to the trainer's orders. In fact, before even realizing what had happened next, the trainer's eyes suddenly went dull in color as he felt his own mind practically freeze; had he have noticed it, he would've seen a Team Plasma Grunt with a brown, floating Pokémon with psychic abilities taking control over his mind._

" _Alright, we've got this handled. I'll get rid of his Pokémon for him without making a scene, you get back to work." The female Team Plasma Grunt spoke, as she ordered the Psychic Type Pokémon to cause the trainer to collapse, as she stole his Poké Balls to take the three of his Pokémon away from him, as the same, Psychic Type Pokémon was used to brainwash the three Pokémon the trainer had, and cause them to use Substitute to freeze them in statue-like forms as they're also knocked out…_

"… And by the time I had woken up, I had lost track of my own Pokémon. I didn't know what happened to them, but I could faintly hear them in pain before I blacked out, and the Poké Balls I had used to contain them were nowhere to be found when I had come to." He explained, as Ash and Cheren looked at him, then at each other.

"Do you think he's telling the truth, Ash? We heard he had abandoned them on his own when he had used Substitute to try and escape from them, before they wound up in the hands of Giselle." Cheren asked Ash silently, as Ash looked at the trainer to ask something.

"Alright, did your three Pokémon know the moves Substitute at all when you last had them?" Ash asked the trainer, as the trainer shook his head.

"No, I don't even have the technical machine for that move either way, and these Pokémon in particular can't learn that move naturally regardless, either. Why, do you think somebody might've-" Suddenly the realization hit the trainer when had recalled what had happened in full.

"Of course… That shady guy who caught me off guard… He must've taken them and hid them from me in plain sight…" He muttered to himself, as he looked at Ash, Cheren, and then at Giselle.

"Hey, Giselle, is it?" He had asked, as Giselle nodded.

"Yes, that's my name, and you are…?" She asked.

"Just call me "The Kid" and leave it at that. Though regardless, thank you for finding my own Pokémon and making sure they're safe… thank you very much for succeeding what I had failed to do myself…" The Kid introduced as he had thanked Giselle, before he had turned to leave.

"And now if you'll excuse me, I have to go visit my parents in Icirrus City. I have some business I need to attend to regarding Team Plasma, and one of their own Pokémon will do the job just fine… Yesss…" He spoke as he began to leave the vicinity entirely, as Ash, Cheren, and Giselle blinked in confusion.

"He seems rather… weird… I don't know why, either." Ash said, as Cheren blinked.

"How so?" Cheren asked.

"I don't know, I just have the strangest feeling at the back of my head that he's hiding something about himself… I mean, what he said was true from the way he spoke, but something else he seemed to be hiding that I can't quite think of…" Ash said, as Cheren looked down towards Bianca's battle with Cress.

"Maybe it was his minor hesitance with trying to figure out a name for himself." Giselle added in, as she looked down at the battle between Bianca and Cress once she heard the applause from the crowd.

Due to their distraction from "The Kid", Bianca had already knocked out Purrloin without difficulty, and thus, Cress sent out his own Panpour next.

"Alrighty then, let's see how long it'll take for this match to end…" Cress said, both nervous, yet confident in tone, since he already knew that Bianca's Pansage had a type advantage.

"I apologize, I truly do. But I'm not going to let myself lose at a time like this." Bianca spoke, as she looked towards her battle ready Pansage.

"Alright, Pansage! Vine Whip once more!" Bianca called, as Pansage was quick to act a second time, with vines extending from both his own arms and tail to grab hold of the opposing Panpour with, as Panpour visibly panicked at to the strength that Pansage was showing, and began to strike at Pansage with Water Gun out of instinct to see if it would do any good…

… But Pansage would not allow for himself to faint in a situation like this, and thus, in a rather brutal fashion, jumped over Panpour, his vines still grasping at his opponent, before moving to flip, carrying the helpless Panpour over into the air, before suddenly dropping Panpour straight into the ground and landing himself with elbowing Panpour in the gut, KOing the Spray Pokémon with ease.

Cress, returning Panpour to his Poké Ball, began to silently clap, as suddenly the audience was clapping as well.

"Wow… I really did it… And all because of you, Pansage!" Bianca said, cheerfully moving up to Pansage to pick him up, Pansage's staying silent as his expression was that of joy as well.

As Bianca went up to Cress to receive her badge, Chili looked up towards the audience at Cheren, whom he had known would be his own opponent for today, and that the fact Cilan lost with a type advantage for him, and how Cress lost with a type disadvantage against him, it was clear that whatever Cheren had in mind would mean Cheren's own training with Ash and Bianca would mean that Chili would be in for one heck of a gym battle…

… And Cheren knew full well that he was on the winning team as it was.

' _Becoming the Champion, Step 1, begins…'_

_**Cheren VS Chili…** _

Cheren made his entry into his battle with Chili much like how Bianca did; starting off with Panpour due to the fact he knew that Panpour would have an advantage against Chili's Pansear.

"Alright, Pokémon, go!" Chili and Cress called to their respective Pokémon, with Chili's first Pokémon being a Pidove as when Panpour moved to strike with scratch, Pidove simply flew out of the way.

"Alright, Panpour! Use Water Gun to knock Pidove out of the air!" Cheren ordered, as Panpour silently made some monkey-like noises before proceeding to blast a torrent of water out towards Pidove, but Pidove moved out of the way in a spinning motion that deflected the incoming Water Gun.

"Hmm?" Ash mumbled, taking notice of how exactly Pidove had avoided getting hit, as he kept watching, as Giselle looked over towards Ash once she realized his interest.

'…  _I'll talk to him later to work something out…'_  She thought, as she watched battle and noted Cheren's frustration with trying to have Panpour hit Pidove with Water Gun.

"Alright, if that's going to be the case! Panpour, jump up to strike Pidove with Scratch!" Cheren ordered, as Panpour stood still for a moment, listening carefully as to where Pidove was, and then jumping in the direction Pidove was flying towards to strike at Pidove with enough force to knock Pidove onto the ground.

"Alright, now use Water Gun while she's down!" Cheren ordered.

"Um… I hate to interrupt, but this Pidove is male…"

"Not now!" Cheren told Chili, as Panpour was still in midair when she had launched a torrent of water from her mouth towards Pidove from above, as Panpour slightly flew backwards as she landed, with Pidove already KO'd from the combination attack of trying to get her out of the air, with Chili responding by returning Pidove to his Poké Ball, and then sending out Pansear.

"Alright, but I must warn you, unlike my brothers, I'm not as much of a pushover. With that said, Pansear! Begin charging energy!" Chili ordered his Pansear, as Pansear began to glow with an intense energy, as Panpour waited for Cheren's orders.

' _Okay, something's up; he clearly knows Panpour has an advantage, but it looks like he's got some secret up his sleeve.'_  Cheren thought, as he looked at Panpour.

"Alright, Panpour, strike with Water Gun!" Cheren ordered, as Panpour blasted Pansear with Water Gun, but even with the direct hit, Pansear still kept charging energy, until Pansear was glowing with an intense, green light.

"Alright, time's up; Pansear, SOLAR BEAM!" Chili order as Pansear held his hands together, with the palms facing outward towards Panpour, and within mere moments, a massive, beam of Grass Type energy struck Panpour with an intense force, as Panpour did what she could to withstand the attack, all the while Cheren covered his eyes from the intense light of the attack.

When the light faded, Cheren was able to look back towards the battlefield, and saw how Panpour was KO'd from Pansear's use of Solar Beam, as Cheren called back Panpour to her Poké Ball as he adjusted his glasses with a bit of disappointment.

"Alright, Purrloin, you're up next!" Cheren called out with a quieter tone, as Purrloin sent out the Devious Pokémon to replace Panpour on the battlefield.

"What's the matter? Can't judge a book by their cover at all?" Chili asked Cheren, which Cheren silently growled at.

"Look, I know what I'm doing regarding type matchups, and THAT just sort of came out of nowhere!" Cheren yelled at Chili, as Chili chuckled.

"Dude, chill; every Pokémon is capable of learning moves outside of their own Type, so it's understandable that I have taught Pansear some moves to deal with his more exploitable weaknesses." Chili spoke, as he looked towards Purrloin with a bit of a fiery glare, to which Purrloin didn't even seem fazed by.

"So what's it going to be? Will your Purrloin be able to defeat my Pansear at all?" Chili asked, as Cheren looked up towards the crowd and noticed Bianca watching him with worry, and Ash not in direct view.

' _Not that it matters, he's probably a little tired.'_  Cheren thought, as he looked at Purrloin, who stood idly in place as she was glancing at Pansear with an overly calm expression, as Pansear didn't know how to properly respond to just how… unusually calm and collected, that Purrloin was.

"Alright, Purrloin, go in an attack with…" Before he could probably order Purrloin to do anything, Purrloin yet out an aggressive meowing noise towards Pansear, which aggravated Pansear to where Pansear responded with a fire type attack to strike at Purrloin.

"Alright, Pansear, don't let Purrloin bother you and-" Chili said, as he looked over at Cilan hiding behind him. "Um, brother?" Chili asked, as Cilan pointed toward Purrloin with a bit of a sheepish look on his face.

"Normally I'm not bothered by Cress's Purrloin, but looks like THAT just downright scare me…" Cilan pointed out, as Chili looked over towards Purrloin and noticed that the flames from Pansear's fire attack were still burning, and Purrloin's glare suddenly turned into a more near sadistic look, as Purrloin began to glow with a bright light that intensified as the flames around her hid her from view, and when the flames finally dissipated, the light faded and Purrloin has changed in shape entirely into a larger, more grown feline-like Pokémon in shape.

Cheren, taking advantage of Chili's lack of orders at the moment, scanned Purrloin's new looks with his Pokédex.

"Liepard, the Cruel Pokémon and the Final Form of Purrloin. Stealthily, it sneaks up on its target, striking from behind before its victim has a chance to react." The Pokédex explained, as Chili looked towards Liepard with an attempt to try and at least retaliate.

"A-Alright, Pansear! Use-"

By the time Chili spoke Pansear's name, Pansear was already on the floor in a quick flash and knocked out, Liepard having chosen her chance to strike at a time where Pansear was distracted, much to Cheren's surprise.

"Well… that was… convenient…" Cheren spoke, as he called back his newly evolved Liepard, as Chili called back his knocked out Pansear, as he walked up towards Cheren to hand him his newly earned Badge.

"Well, guess I can't exactly get too caught up in my own arrogance at times, so it looks like you've earned this." Chili spoke to Cheren as he handed him his badge, as Cheren nodded.

"I must say, even with Purrloin evolving at the end, I guess we're somewhat even." Cheren told Chili, as they both shook hands before Cheren moved to leave.

By the time Cheren walked up the stair case to greet Bianca, he noticed something was off; Ash was nowhere in sight.

"… Here Ash and I were supposed to watch over you, and yet you're still here with me and Ash is nowhere to be found…" Cheren told Bianca, ignoring how the crowd was applauding for Cheren's victory, as Bianca looked around to see where Ash was.

"He… well… he was dragged out of the room by Giselle… Or, rather, kind of the other way around…" Bianca told Cheren, as Cheren pushed up his glasses a little at that answer.

"I swear if Giselle's beginning to bother him I'm not going to like it…" Cheren mumbled, as he began to walk out of the gym to begin to search for Ash, alongside Bianca.

_**Meanwhile…** _

Ash and Giselle were at the Dreamyard, with Ash having walked out of the gym on his own, and Giselle having followed him.

"Hey, please don't be sad at a moment like this… We've only just met, it's my fault you're like this, not yours…" Giselle began to tell Ash, as Ash looked back at her and sighed.

"Look, I've been trying to get two of my closest friends together as a couple for at least six years now. I've been trying all I could to try and get the two of them to be happy together, and yet all this time I've been wondering if I even deserve anybody at all…" Ash spoke, as the next thing he felt was Giselle slapping him in the face with a teary voice.

"H-Hey! Don't talk like that! I mean, yeah, we've just met and all… but please, don't let your own hopes get down like that when you're trying to find somebody for yourself… I may be inferior to you, but believe me when I say this; somebody will certainly find some kind of attraction to you that someone like myself simply can't fully understand…" Giselle began to explain, as Ash looked around as he heard yelling in the distance.

"Hang on a second, someone's up ahead… and it doesn't sound pleasant…"

"… And that doesn't even feel pleasant…" Giselle said, as she quickly followed Ash as to not be defenseless, not even caring to the rustling sound she heard nearby, seeming to follow both of them.

_((…))_

Ash, upon arriving at the place within the Dreamyard, where a few Munna are gathered, and "The Kid", as two Team Plasma members were seen before the Kid, Ash, and Giselle once the latter two had arrived.

"What's in that Poké Ball, kid?" One of them mockingly asked, "Feel like losing another one of your own Pokémon again? Will you ever learn the definition of stupidity?" He finished, as the Kid did not have much else to say, opening up the Poké Ball he had and out from the Poké Ball emerged a somewhat toxic mist which concealed some kind of Pokémon which Ash could vaguely make out as having a somewhat Reptilian head, but was unable to make out the rest of the body as he was coughing as he and Giselle turned away from the toxic air, with Giselle having ran off from the area entirely in panic.

" **SKREEENK!"**  The Pokémon that the Kid had howled with a sound that seemed too artificial in nature to even remotely sound like a Pokémon that Ash was at least familiar with. Before Ash could identify the Pokémon in question, the Kid had returned it to its Poké Ball just as quickly as it was sent out. Hearing a Munna's mooing sound, the next thing Ash could see was the Team Plasma grunt that remained backing away in fright from the Munna.

"Okay I know the Pokémon I had to leave to borrow real quick is scary, but why are you this afraid?" The Kid asked the Team Plasma grunt, as the Team Plasma grunt, instead, saw the appearance of a shady man with olive green hair, and a familiar cloak which he knew loud and clear was Ghetsis himself "standing" before him.

' _In your rambling for the Dream Mist, you have accomplished nothing. Do I need to remind you of what happens to grunts who fail my own commands? Lest Lord N have mercy on your soul for what I would have to do to ensure that none of our plan fails!'_ Ghetsis "spoke" to the Team Plasma grunt, as the grunt finally began screaming and suddenly made a break for it like no tomorrow.

Within seconds, Ash was finally stable in regards to the air around him being clean again, as Ash looked at the Kid with a bit of curiosity.

"… Need I know what Pokémon you had sent out?"

"No."

"Fair enough…" Ash finished, before looking at the Munna, and noting the bruises it had from apparently being kicked and punched by somebody, more than likely the Team Plasma grunt who was originally here, but not anymore.

"There's some remnant Dream Mist scattered on the ground if you so desire it, I won't need any of it. I'm sure if you give some of it to Fennel she'll appreciate it." The Kid said, before moving to leave as soon as Cheren and Bianca had quickly came into view, having ran all the way from the gym to find Ash here in the Dreamyard.

"Ash! What happened?" Cheren asked, as he looked at Ash and noticed Munna floating up towards Bianca with increased intrigue, floating around her as Bianca watched the pink Pokémon as she stood still, and slowly moved to grab a Poké Ball from her bag to, very lightly, tap Munna with the Poké Ball she had, as Munna was drawn into the Poké Ball as quickly as Bianca's action was made.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

"…" Ash and Cheren were both equally stunned as to how Bianca had caught a Munna with as little difficulty as she had done, with both of them about to bring something up, before deciding to drop it.

"… Let's head to the Pokémon Center to rest for the night, I do believe it's beginning to get rather late." Ash suggested, to which Bianca and Cheren both nodded, as Ash moved out to leave back towards Striaton City, and as Bianca and Cheren were walking around a bit, Ash's aura ignited again as they walked ahead of him.

Ash, looking around, noticed how his own sight was darkening a bit, as within the distance a blue outline was visible to him, and noticing that this being had aura emanating from its hands. The being in question looked oddly humanoid yet still much like a Pokémon…

… But it was most definitely not Zoroark he was seeing. However, before he could grab his Pokédex to scan it, he froze in place when the Pokémon suddenly rushed towards him without warning, stopping for a moment as it did. All Ash was able to see was a mixture of blue and black in regards to the Pokémon's normal coloration.

_((You're not ready, yet…))_

**To Be Continued…**


	13. Chapter 12: Regulus, the Shining Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious Lucario by the name of Regulus introduces himself to Ash, but not in a very nice way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

Ash stood silent, looking over at the Pokémon standing beside him with a, rather frightened, glance. From what he could tell, the Pokémon had a very distinct shape to its canine-like head, and had what appeared to be dreadlocks of sorts on the back of its head. Its paws were reinforced with a spike on the back, as a similar spike was placed on its chest.

As soon as Ash tried to reach for his Pokédex, though, the Pokémon reacted almost immediately and knocked the Pokédex out of Ash's hands.

"Hey!" Ash yelled at the Pokémon's actions, as the Pokémon gave a rather defiant glare at Ash as it placed its own foot on the Pokédex.

_((Close your mouth…))_

Ash, upon hearing those words, was able to put two and two together regarding an earlier incident. Ash's eyes, glowing gold on and off as he tried to replicate the power he had accidentally taped into the few times beforehand, failed to get a proper response from said power.

"What's going on? Why can't I get it up?!" Ash said, before thinking about it for a moment, recalling how he had activated this power before as he gritted his teeth and allowed for his frustration to get to him. The Pokémon, the entire time, was silently watching as Ash tried to tap into this power…

… Only when Ash's body began to light aflame like before did the Pokémon "speak" again.

 _((I said, close your mouth, Ketchum.))_ The Pokémon told him, as Ash, realizing what the strange Pokémon was getting onto, closed his mouth to as he still kept his frustration active, but this time, focused on one key thing…

 _((Alright, how do you know my last name? I heard one of the Gym Leaders at Striaton speak of it like it was actually important… is it?))_  Ash "spoke" in the same method as the Pokémon before him, with the Pokémon's expression not having changed over the past few moments.

 _((… You're not ready.))_  He told Ash, as Ash blinked.

_((… Huh?))_

_((For any information on your father until you learn about him yourself…))_  He told Ash, as he moved to kick the Pokédex back over to Ash, as Ash moved to pick it up off of the ground…

… Not anticipating the Pokémon to suddenly spin kick Ash clear into a wall without any warning, as Ash, moving to stand after several seconds of recovering from the impact, was… needless to say rather agitated by how out of nowhere that attack was, or the fact it didn't seem warranted.

 _((W-Why did you k-kick me like that?!))_ Ash asked, his body practically fuming with the same, blue colored flames that the Pokémon in question was also emanating from his hands and from the foot he had used to kick Ash with, which was equipped with a lightly built brace which had an odd stone of sorts placed into it.

As the Pokémon moved to kick Ash's Pokédex over to him yet again, Ash didn't move from the spot he was standing, since now he was perfectly suspicious as to this odd Pokémon.

' _Great, so he knows my father, he showcases the same ability I have which I still know nothing about yet, and when he gives me back my Pokédex he kicks me into a wall… just wonderful, isn't it…?'_  Ash thought.

 _((It's because had you truly been ready for training, you would've avoided that entirely. Your senses are too fueled by your emotions to properly function. Had you have been your father, you would've realized that right away, Ketchum.))_  The Pokémon's dialogue was beginning to get on Ash's nerves by this point, but Ash, uncertain of what to do, decided to grab his Pokédex so that he could figure out exactly what this Pokémon even was to begin with.

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon and the Final Form of Riolu. Famous in Kalos Mythology, Lucario is capable of mastering a wide range of aura abilities that it is rumored that even humans are capable of learning these mysterious techniques." The Pokédex explained, as Ash looked upwards and panicked by how a little too close the Pokémon, apparently called Lucario, was standing before him.

 _((So the Unova Model does pick up on Kalos-related information, interesting.))_  The Lucario said to Ash again, as he picked up Ash by the collar of his shirt, with Ash trying to get out of his grasp.

_((Hey! Let go of me will ya?! I don't know who you think you are, even as a Lucario, but-))_

_((Regulus.))_  As Lucario spoke up again, Ash blinked a bit in surprise as to how this Lucario wasn't even bothering to answer his own questions, but instead choose to raise more of them.

_((… What?))_

_((My name is Regulus, keep that in mind… especially if now you wish to truly talk before I knock you out.))_  The Lucario, nicknamed Regulus, told Ash.

 _((So… Might I ask why you're hostile as is…? Do you know N at all…? I mean, I do believe I had heard you call a man named Ghetsis a fool… What do you know that I don't?))_  Ash asked. He was going to ask about the importance of the necklace he was now seeing on Lucario, particularly with the multicolored, DNA-like helix in the center of it, and also about the single piece of foot gear he was wearing, but he figured Regulus' answer wouldn't change.

 _((You're not ready to know those things, but I will say this; N is very disillusioned about what he believes is the truth, and his quest to seek out the truth for what it is will more than likely frighten him from the revelation... especially from that Ghetsis figure… To say I don't… ahem, "trust"… him very well is a huge understatement.))_  Regulus began to explain, letting go off Ash from where he stood, as Regulus turned to begin to walk away. Ash's aura, meanwhile, had faded away from his body save for his hands and glowing eyes, before soon dissipating altogether.

 _((Look, I don't know why you're trying to hide, but I do believe you have a lot of explaining to do by the time I see you again.))_  Ash told Regulus, as Regulus, not appearing to move from where he stood, said nothing.

 _((Alright, now I have one last thing to ask… How do you know of my father?))_  Ash asked, as Regulus' hands began emanating aura again, as Ash's own aura finally sparked up again.

 _((… You're that curious about the answer, aren't you?))_  Regulus asked, as Ash nodded, as Ash could feel his own hands beginning to burn with the same energy as Regulus' hands were, as Regulus still did not budge from where he stood.

Without warning, though, Ash's Dewott appeared from his Poké Ball all on his own, catching Ash off guard. Dewott, not uttering a sound, glared at Regulus, as he began "speaking" to Regulus in otter-like vocalizations.

 _((You're not ready to fight me, if that's what you're even implying.))_  Regulus told Dewott, at the same time growling in a near human mixed with canine vocalization that made Ash recall that the way both Regulus and himself were talking to each other couldn't be understood by other Pokémon, or, at least, that's what earlier that day seemed to have shown…

Dewott, despite that answer, didn't even bother waiting for one of Ash's orders to suddenly rush forward, his scalchops unsheathed, and suddenly began hacking at Regulus with them, and actively attempting to strike at Regulus at that… key word being "attempting", here.

Regulus, swiftly but only barely moving out of the way of each slash, quickly moved his right paw behind his own back in another dodge…

… Though also to project a staff out of an unknown form of energy, and suddenly and very quickly turned a full 180 degrees to strike at Dewott's feet with the staff, as Dewott was quick to dodge the strike and jump up onto the wall that Ash had been launched into minutes prior.

Not even bothering to comment on the situation, Regulus suddenly leapt up towards Dewott to strike with his energy staff, but Dewott's own agility wasn't as weak as Regulus seemed to suggest when Regulus mentioned he "wasn't ready" to fight off against him.

Regulus, after some horizontal slashes, suddenly made a vertical slash which parried against Dewott's dual scalchops, as both the Discipline and Aura Pokémon were only just beginning their fight at the current rate, considering Regulus was unable to actually hit Dewott just yet.

Dewott, though, figured to get in an attack against Regulus somehow, so made an opening for him to strike with Water Gun to Regulus' face, although Regulus' expression suddenly had Regulus wide eyed and grinning from Dewott's efforts. Suddenly, Regulus was moments away from slashing at Dewott again vertically, but like with previous attempts, Dewott had not only barely moved out of the way, but seemingly disappeared from sight, just as Regulus had slammed his energy staff against the ground and caused a sizeable crater to form from the explosion of the impact.

Turning his gaze towards Dewott, who was now airborne, was met midair by Regulus suddenly moving at a much faster speed, taking Dewott by surprise as Regulus' hand smashed against Dewott's back with an electrical charge. Dewott, falling into the crater made by him and Regulus, was back on his feet in no time as he and Regulus began to exchange blows yet again.

Ash, having had enough of this, forcefully returned Dewott to his Poké Ball just as Regulus had the staff he had formed dissipated into particles, as Ash was visibly panting from how his aura had activated again at full force, and he was not happy about Regulus' behavior for somebody who clearly knows an awful lot about Ash already.

 _((Stop it… I've had enough of this for today, I just need to get back with the others, get some proper sleep, and to…))_  Ash began to tell Regulus, practically furious, but he did not seem to notice on time that Regulus had vanished from sight, causing Ash's own aura to dissipate as Ash had thought Regulus had left before he could finish...

_((As I had already said…))_

Within mere seconds, Regulus was directly behind Ash and suddenly grabbed hold of Ash, forcing him onto his back and punching him with enough force to knock Ash out cold for the moment, with only then did Regulus' aura dissipate for good, and for Regulus to suddenly run off the moment he had heard voices calling out Ash's name.

_((You're not even remotely ready for what's truly in store for you…))_

**To Be Continued…**


	14. Chapter 13: After Two Day's Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash, after having been knocked out for two days, begins to learn of what had happened around him, and what he must now prepare for...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)

"Ash, are you alright?" Cheren began to ask, noticing that Ash was finally waking up at the Pokémon Center they had taken him to once they had found him.

Ash, trying to sit up to look at Cheren, noticed how blurry his own vision was for several seconds as he had begun to wake up. Once he did, he had noticed Cheren, Bianca, what he presumed were the evolved forms of Snivy and Tepig due to their familiar, yet altered, looks, but most importantly…

N was also in the room.

"How is he doing?" N asked, as Ash looked over at N and blinked.

"I'm fine, though it's surprising to see you here." Ash said, as N looked over at Ash's shirtless form and shook his head.

"Your chest is bruised a lot from where you got hit… I'm just still troubled to know a Pokémon was the one who had caused this." N said, in a sadder tone than he was speaking with before, looking out towards the window and noticing a familiar presence.

 _((Relax, N. I got too carried away considering his Dewott had attacked me just moments before knocking him out.))_  Regulus told N, as he also physically growled what he was saying to N as well.

"… I can hear your aura, you know. Not that I mind, as your own aura can sometimes be unnerving to the ears…" N told Regulus, as Regulus nodded in understanding, before growling a bit to talk to N without speaking with his aura this time, to which N nodded.

"I'll translate, then. You just got to be careful with your tone when speaking the other way, though." N said, pointing towards Dewott, "Snivy", and "Tepig", the latter two Ash was scanning with his Pokédex now that he was able to reach it.

"Servine, the Grass Snake Pokémon and the evolved form of Snivy. They avoid attacks by sinking into the shadows of thick foliage. They retaliate with masterful whipping techniques."

"Pignite, the Fire Pig Pokémon and the evolved form of Tepig. Whatever it eats becomes fuel for the flame in its stomach. When it is angered, the intensity of the flame increases."

Once the Pokédex finished explaining about Snivy and Tepig's new forms of Servine and Pignite, Ash moved to lay back down again once he felt a jolt of pain hit his chest, causing Cheren, Bianca, and N to carefully lay him down. N, looking over at Regulus, had a look of confusion.

"Why did you harm Ash, anyways?" N asked, as Regulus began to growl in a calmer tone towards N.

"So… You were trying to teach him something? Do you also agree that Pokémon and humans being together is a bad thi-"

Before N could finish, though, Regulus had suddenly rushed up towards N, and was standing in a way to where Regulus was mere inches away from punching N in the face.

"... For as much as I dislike Pokémon getting harmed by humans... Humans getting harmed by Pokémon doesn't even sound remotely better at all..." N quietly said to himself, but was still loud enough for Cheren and Ash to both hear, and as he looked towards Regulus, he noticed Bianca passing by practically terrified and leaving the room, as N began thinking to himself regarding Regulus' behavior.

 _((Fool… Who do you did you think I was talking about back at Accumula Town? Ghetsis? Or perhaps you?))_ Regulus spoke to N, as Regulus jumped back as the aura emanating from his hands dissipated as quickly as they were triggered. N, meanwhile, was rather shocked as to how Regulus as just a split second away from attacking him directly.

' _Wow… something must've hurt him quite a lot… But… Why?'_  N thought, he had looked towards Ash's resting form, then over at Cheren. Hearing Regulus growling, though, N at least figured it was best to translate what Regulus was saying now.

"In case you're wondering, the Lucario is saying that he's apologizing for hitting Ash. He went too overboard for a moment, as he puts it." N had told Cheren, as Cheren looked over towards Regulus, as Regulus was just standing in place, waiting on Ash's condition. Growling towards N to ask about it, N looked towards Ash.

"Do you… still feel hurt from two days ago?" N asked Ash, as Ash sat straight up in surprise.

"What?! It's been two days since I was knocked out?!" Ash asked, surprised by the revelation, as Cheren nodded.

"Yeah, it was two days… Nurse Joy and N kept an eye on you whenever Bianca and I couldn't do so." Cheren said, as Ash looked around in the room and noticed somebody missing.

"… Speaking of which, where's Bianca?" Ash asked, as N looked around, noticing a door in the bedroom with some steam rising up from under the door.

"Is she really taking a shower at a time like this…?" Cheren asked, as Regulus began to growl towards N again to explain what he had seen from Bianca before she had left the three of them alone.

"The Lucario is saying-" Interrupted for a second by a harsh growl from Regulus, N started up again, "I mean, Regulus, is saying that Bianca had gone to take a shower to calm her nerves. She looked visibly frightened by Regulus." N translated, as Cheren and Ash both nodded.

"I'm not going to complain, we all need some form of rest after having known Ash was out cold for two days in a row." Cheren said, as he looked over towards Ash. "See if you can try and stand, N and I will try and help you stay stable." Cheren asked from Ash, as Ash nodded.

"I'll try…" Ash said, as with Cheren and N staying by Ash's side, Ash began to get out of bed to try and stand, with Regulus quietly approaching to help out as well.

In the bathroom next to them, Bianca was letting the warmth of the shower water sooth her tense, nervous skin, carefully washing her hair and body to help herself calm down.

"I need to find a way to be more courageous at times… I… That Lucario just seems scary with how he acts…" Bianca began to speak for herself, with Munna calmly floating next to Bianca in the shower stall.

Hearing her mooing calls, Bianca looked towards Munna, before moving to hug the small Pokémon.

"It's okay, I'm here… I'm just as scared as you are about Lucario…" Bianca said, comforting her Munna as she tried to think about something that had happened while she and Cheren were away earlier today…

" _Your friend is lucky you were able to bring him back here on time. I'm surprised that aside from bruising, that he's actually not in a bad condition at all." Nurse Joy spoke to Cheren and Bianca, as they were standing next to the bed Ash was laying on, shirtless and bandaged up, as he was laying down asleep._

" _So how long do you think he'll be out of it?" Cheren asked Nurse Joy, as Nurse Joy carefully set her hand on Ash's chest._

" _He'll probably be out of it for a few days, no less than two at most. I recommend keeping a close eye on him until he's ready to get back on his feet, even if he does wake up earlier than that." Joy told them both, as Cheren sighed, with Bianca letting out Tepig from his Poké Ball. Nurse Joy, beginning to leave, prompted Cheren to let Snivy out of her Poké Ball, watching as both of their starter Pokémon glance at each other._

" _I hope he'll be alright…" Bianca said to Cheren, as Cheren looked towards Bianca with a touch of nervousness, which Bianca was quick to notice. "Hey, are you alright?" Bianca asked Cheren, as Cheren blushed._

" _It's… it's nothing… I'm fine, I just need to try and gather my thoughts on what we'll be doing until Ash recovers…"_

As Bianca woke from her thoughts, she seemed to glance downward toward the bottom of the shower stall, trying to think about not only how she'll help Ash get back on his feet after a misstep like this, but more importantly, how exactly to get Cheren to not panic mentally at the prospect of Cheren and her ending up in a situation to themselves…

As she was thinking about what was going on, her eyes opened wide when she saw Cheren, standing right in front of her with his eyes hidden from view. Watching Cheren undress, she blushed at an increasing rate when what she was seeing went on further, before both of them were doing… something interesting, as Bianca's face began to get redder and redder from what she was seeing.

"Bianca?"

Upon hearing someone call her name, she heard knocking on the bathroom door and gasped in response. As she looked around, she noticed whatever she was seeing earlier was all just something she had day dreamed of, and her face was fiercely red in slight embarrassment. Munna, having grabbed onto Bianca's head, let loose a plume of pink smoke, before letting go and floating down to Bianca.

"Hey… did you… see any of that?" Bianca asked her Munna as she sighed, as Munna let out a soft, mooing sound in response.

"Alright… just… please try to snap me out of something like that if it happens again." Bianca said, turning off the shower water and beginning to dry herself off with a towel.

"Besides, I really don't want to make Cheren any more uncomfortable than I already have…" Bianca said, rather sadly, before putting on a lime green robe to keep her body covered and relaxed, since her usual wardrobe was being washed.

"Hey, Bianca, are you in there?" She was able to hear this time. It was Ash's voice.

"Yeah, I'm in here. Do you need to use the shower?" Bianca asked, as she opened the door and looked at Ash, in addition to Cheren and N who were talking with each other for a moment, as Bianca moved out of the way to allow Ash into the bathroom, as she walked out into the room with the others, her Munna following her as Regulus was sitting calmly in a state of meditation.

"Are you alright, Bianca?" Cheren asked her, as Bianca nodded, moving to sit beside him, which caused Cheren to blush a little. N, meanwhile, was a bit confused.

"So, might I ask why you're concerned on Ash's condition? You seem like the least likely person we know to have encountered here." Bianca asked N, as N sighed.

"Yeah, I am the least likely person to be around. I just don't understand how people like you or Ash even function, but most importantly, how Ash even functions." N began to say, "Ash has some kind of power that I've only heard from passerby Pokémon trainers regarding the Striaton Gym Battles from two days ago, and what I've seen for myself rather… disturbs me…" N finished, as he moved to stand and get up to leave.

"Either way, I'm glad to know Ash is beginning to feel better. I apologize if I was intruding on anything at all, I was just concerned for his safety." N said, before opening the door to the hallway to leave, closing the door behind him.

Regulus, meanwhile, remained in deep thought about things, but noted because N was no longer present, he could at least "speak" with Ash at the moment.

 _((Feeling any better?))_  Regulus asked, as Ash, preparing to take a shower to properly clean himself, closed his mouth and began to respond to Regulus.

 _((Yeah, I'm feeling better. I just need to wash myself off since I've been in bed for a whole two days.))_  Ash responded, as Regulus sighed.

 _((Look, I apologize for my behavior before… This is the first time I've engaged much in social contact in a very, very long time… I've rather lost my touch in this regard.))_  Regulus explained to Ash, as Ash understood what Regulus was meaning.

_((Although, for some reason, I can't help but think you did have a point with as to why you were attacking me; you're trying to test my own abilities, right?))_

_((Yes. It's just been almost 17 years since I've had much contact with people, and considering my own personal training was… brutal, I was misbehaving in your own eyes now that I've seen that not many people act the way they had used to.))_  Regulus told Ash, as he mentally sighed on this factor.

 _((Listen, Regulus, if you want to apologize, well… I could make an offer…))_  Ash began to ask, as Regulus mentally raised an eye at that comment.

 _((… You're crazy, if what you're about to suggest is what I'm thinking it is… But I won't argue, I deserve at least some kind of knowledge to know I'm not scaring your friends with my presence…))_  Regulus said.  _((So what do you have in mind, Ketchum?))_

As Regulus finished, Ash, thinking of the only logical conclusion to this, decided to ask Regulus the following.

_((Would you like to join my own team as one of my own Pokémon?))_

**To Be Continued…**


	15. Chapter 14: Watch the power of Aura!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Regulus face off against each other to determine how the remainder of the former's journey will go...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Disclaimer: This work is a non-profit fan fiction for Pokémon. I do not own Pokémon nor do I own any of the characters aside from the occasional original character that may or may not appear in this story. The property of Pokémon belongs to Game Freak, which in turn belongs to Nintendo. Please support the official works.)  
> (AN: This is the most recent chapter that has been posted to FF.net's version of the story. As of this chapter, the AO3 version of the story seen here is now fully caught up with the progress thus far for the story as a whole.)

"WHAT?!" Cheren and Bianca both yelled once Ash had taken the chance to explain to them what was going to happen.

"Well, it seems like the only logical answer. If he's going to follow me around anyways, he might as well join my own team." Ash told them both, with Regulus staying silent in the corner of the bedroom.

"A-Are you sure…? I mean, he attacked you, almost attacked N, and what's to say he won't attack anybody else?" Bianca asked, as Cheren pushed his glasses up.

"As much as this sounds dangerous… I have to say Ash does have a point." Cheren brought up, as Bianca carefully looked at Cheren.

"Again, are you sure? He's already proven to be dangerous on his own!" Bianca said, before suddenly realizing what precisely she had said.

"Exactly; if he has a trainer to keep an eye out for him, he can easily be kept in more proper control than not having one at all." Cheren explained, as he looked over towards Regulus. "Also, I'm assuming from when N was here earlier, that this Lucario prefers to go by the nickname of "Regulus"?" Cheren asked Ash, to which the latter nodded.

"Yeah, but I must warn you both… he's able to speak through utilizing his own aura, but unless you're able to properly grasp how aura works, you can't understand him properly." Ash explained, as Regulus opened his eyes to look towards the group.

 _((That, and the ones who can without proper stability often experience agitation to their senses. That's part of why N told me to speak more like an ordinary Pokémon towards him. He's able to understand that just fine, but whatever his capability in Aura is will not be enough for him to be able to properly master it at all if he can't even withstand being able to hear my own speech.))_  Regulus explained to Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Alright, so, do we have an agreement on you joining my team so you can keep better control of yourself?" Ash asked Regulus, to which Regulus stood up, before walking over to Ash. Removing the necklace he was wearing, he gives it to Ash as he looks at Ash with an approving nod.

 _((Alright, but if this is going to work, we need to be absolutely sure you're capable of handling my maximum level of power.))_  Regulus informed him, as Ash blinked.

 _((In other words, let all of your Pokémon out of their Poké Balls and let's see how each of them will be able to handle my own power. You'll battle me first before we can fully determine if you'll be able to allow me to use this power again any time soon. Right now, though, I do not believe you're ready still… but it's the only option I have if I'm going to avoid harming anybody without meaning to.))_  Regulus explained to Ash, as Ash nodded, before the latter began to explain to Cheren and Bianca the plan.

"Alright, we'll meet up in the primary battle park at the center of this city, and I'll have a battle against Regulus to see if he'll be able to control himself. In the end, Regulus will join my team once we've seen just how strong he actually is." Ash told them, as Cheren and Bianca, looking towards each other a bit hesitantly, both nodded in understanding.

After walking out to the "battle park" as Ash called it, Ash, Cheren, Bianca, and Regulus had gathered with Regulus standing on the opposite side of the battlefield.

Ash, choosing from one of his four Pokémon he already has to battle Regulus with, is quick to send out Pichu from his Poké Ball.

"Pichu!" Pichu cried once he was let out, but soon cringed in fright when he saw Regulus was his first opponent.

 _((A little unwise to let the infant battle me, don't you think?))_  Regulus spoke up towards Ash, as Cheren placed a hand onto Ash's shoulder, with Bianca doing the same.

"Let's just hope Pichu's going to be capable of going up against Regulus… I know some of your Pokémon have trained during the last two days, but Pichu always seemed to try and avoid training at times." Cheren told Ash.

"I hope he'll be careful with Regulus… We still don't know how powerful Regulus actually is." Bianca said to Ash, clearly worried for Pichu's safety. However, Ash gave both them, and Pichu, a reassuring glance.

"Trust me, he'll be fine…" Ash told them, as Pichu took up a battle stance against Regulus.

 _((I recommend having a spare Poké Ball on hand, because you're going to need it for when this over. That aside…))_  Regulus began telling Ash, his eyes closed during this.

 _((Tap the gemstone around your neck, and then you'll see my true power.))_  Regulus told Ash, as Ash nodded in understanding. Pressing his finger against the odd stone, Ash could hear the gem let out a small surge of energy, which caused Ash himself to glow with his aura, but most importantly had Regulus glowing with an equally intense aura.

With an even more intense field of energy gathering around Regulus, he had become encased in a sphere of energy so intense that when Regulus emerged from it, a powerful shockwave occurred around him. As a brief burst of energy appeared above Regulus' head in the shape of a DNA helix, Regulus let loose a fierce howl much different in tone from his usual voice.

 _ **((Alright, show me what you're made of!))**_  Regulus spoke to Ash, waiting for Ash's own move before making his own, all the while Cheren and Bianca tried to scan Regulus on the Pokédex again.

"Alright, Pokédex, why does Regulus look different all of a sudden?" Cheren asked his Pokédex, noting how Regulus now had more numerous, refined spikes emerging from the back of his hands and feet, tiny touches of red across his body and dreadlocks, and a golden mane covering his body and even replacing his original tail.

"When Lucario Mega Evolves, it becomes Mega Lucario. Upon Mega Evolution, black patterns creep up Mega Lucario's arms and legs-marks left behind by the heightened aura energy that thrums throughout its body." The Pokédex explained to both Cheren and Bianca, as both of them stared at Regulus with newfound interest.

"Mega Evolution…?" Both of them had asked, as they both looked towards Regulus and Pichu.

"Alright! Pichu! Let's start off with Volt Tackle!" Ash called, as Pichu was eager to respond.

"Pichu! Pi!" Pichu yelled, as he rushed forward with a field of electricity suddenly surging across his entire body as he charged head first into Regulus, but despite how powerful Volt Tackle actually looked, the strike barely caused Regulus to flinch.

Regulus, not even taking the chance to speak next, immediately followed up on Pichu's attack with by using a powerful punch to knock Pichu into the ground, causing the entire surface to shatter upon impact and send Pichu flying all the way back to Ash's side of the field.

"P-Pic-chu…" Pichu muttered, before looking towards Regulus with a bit of defiance, but Regulus, this entire time had yet to actually open his eyes to even notice this.

 _ **((Try again. This young one is different from the others…))**_  Regulus pointed out to Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Alright, let's try again, Pichu! Thunder Wave!" Ash told Pichu, as Pichu got up and glared towards Regulus, before static began to surge from himself, even if it appeared to be visibly hurting him in the process.

"PIIICHUUU!" Pichu cried from unleashing a torrent of electrical waves towards Regulus, but Regulus moved to dodge all of the waves that came at him from the front…

… Even anticipating the waves to turn around and head back towards him from the back, managing to dodge the returning waves of electricity perfectly fine, but when Pichu was visibly getting agitated by Regulus' dodging, he let out a sharp, unrecognizable cry which appeared to send a pink colored shockwave of electricity towards Regulus, but as Regulus was still dodging the prior currents, this particular wave of electricity was quick to immediately home in on Regulus.

Catching Regulus in their movement impairing grasp, Regulus crouched down in what appeared to be weakness…

… Then his eyes suddenly shot open in response to this.

 _ **((You have yet to truly experience my power!))**_  Regulus said, before suddenly igniting his entire body and the area around him in a huge, powerful shockwave of aura energy as Regulus let out a powerful howl in tone, only intensifying as the aura dissipated and Regulus looked practically on fire.

Ash, focusing and activating his own aura to try and help out Pichu, glanced towards Regulus.

"So, that's how you're going to play, is it? Alright, Pichu! Reversal!" Ash called, as Ash's own aura ignited into flames, as Pichu began charging towards Regulus at an intense speed, but Regulus' own speed was a lot faster from the power-up he had given himself, causing Regulus' own response to Pichu to be equally amplified in intensity to where both Pokémon suddenly were launched across into another part of the battlefield.

As both Pichu and Regulus went at each other, there fast movements, in addition to their capability to hold their own against each other in the process, caught the attention of many other trainers within the battle park… including the passing by N.

"Huh?!" N uttered in surprise, his eyes widening as he had watched Regulus and Pichu battling against each other, slowly began to walk the opposite way before turning to run altogether to avoid being noticed any further.

As Pichu and Regulus both jumped back onto their own battlefield, Pichu took advantage of Regulus' paralysis beginning to take hold when Regulus had tried to land on the ground and continue the fight.

 **((Now then, watch the power of aura!))**  Regulus called, before using clasping both of his hands together, an intense, powerful sphere of energy forming in them, and pushing his hands out towards Pichu.

 **((AURA! STORM!))**  Regulus yelled, firing the powerful blast of Aura energy towards Pichu, but as Ash's aura deliberately flared up again, Pichu disappeared from Regulus' sight in a blur, and thus when the beam of energy dissipated, it appeared as if Regulus had hit Pichu...

"Pichuuu!"

... Until Pichu's cry was heard directly above Regulus, and heading towards his direction, causing Regulus' expression to change into that of surprise upon glancing up to look at Pichu.

"Alright, let's finish this! Pichu! Volt Reversal!" Ash called towards Pichu, his eyes practically glowing gold and his aura intense around him, as Pichu suddenly and swiftly charged in the direction of Regulus from midair, and slammed his head against Regulus with such a force that Regulus was sent flying back into a wall, as he doubled over from the pain, as he was cloaked in a white field of energy that caused him to take on the appearance of an ordinary Lucario once more.

"Alright," Ash said, drawing out a Great Ball from his bag, which he had bought minutes ago to prepare for this. "Great Ball, GO!" Ash called, throwing the amplified Great Ball towards Regulus, and almost immediately upon contact, the Great Ball opened up and dragged Regulus into it, before closing and falling to the ground.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

As Ash moved to claim the Great Ball, his aura began to fade as he walked up to pick it up, with Pichu quietly following even if he was heavily damaged at the moment.

"Alright! I caught Lucario!" Ash said, deliberately not using Regulus' own nickname as to avoid confusing the crowd he had noticed was watching him.

As Cheren and Bianca both breathed a sigh of relief, Bianca went to carefully pick up Pichu and tend to his wounds with a Potion, as Ash let out Regulus from his Great Ball, as Regulus appeared in a crouched stance, heavily damaged from the aftermath of the battle.

As Bianca was about to tend to his wounds, Regulus simply gestured to stay back for a moment as he had caught his breath. Once he did, he turned his gaze up towards Ash with a bit of a confident smile and cheerful expression directed towards Ash, even if he still maintained a serious look.

_((Now you actually are ready, Ash.))_

**To Be Continued…**


	16. Chapter 15: The Silver Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today marks the the 18th anniversary of her husband's disappearance, and so Delia tries to see if she can summon an old friend to see if any traces of him still remain. She gets her answer in the form of Regulus, but Ash and co. are not aware of how exactly this Pokémon knows of Regulus at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN: This is the first chapter made during the story's re-upload to AO3 to begin making way towards what will happen further down in the TAI AU Canon. Here sets up the beginning for the next arc, which thankfully won't override the Team Plasma portion of Route 3 at all, but will still give some backstory on Regulus a little bit.)

Things were a tad bit uneasy at the Ketchum household. While Ash and company were away on their Pokémon journey doing who knows what, things were beginning to get rather serious back at Accumula Town.

"You're sure your own son can actually keep my daughter safe?" Don asked, talking to Delia, as the latter nodded.

"Yes, I'm certain of it. Once he had called me over the Xtransceiver about how things have been going well for him after three days' time, it seems that both Cheren and Bianca are doing fine as well." Delia told Don, as Cheren's father was a bit uneasy in the room.

"… Seriously? You seem to imply that you've actually heard anything back from anyone other than Ash." Cheren's father spoke up towards Delia, as Delia sighed.

"Well, I saw Cheren and Bianca standing right beside him at a shop when he made the call. Xtransceivers have screens to them, you know." Delia told Cheren's father, as Bianca's father was silently giving him a bit of a glare.

"Felix… Do you even remotely believe Cheren will keep my daughter safe?" Don asked Cheren's father, named Felix.

"As if she needs protecting to begin with. She seems strong enough on her own to not rely on others." Felix suggested, as Don was just moments away from bursting out at Felix, before suddenly calming down as his expression saddened.

"O-Okay… Perhaps you're right… Maybe I am just being a little too selfish here. Do you think that's the case?"

"YES!" Delia and Felix both yelled, as Don just held his head down in shame at that answer, as Delia got up from where she was sitting to grab something from a small, storage cabinet, grabbing out a flute of sorts from her storage and walking outside.

"Alright, let me tell you a little bit of a backstory involving myself. First off, follow me real quick." Delia told them both, as Don was quick to follow as Felix, already standing, followed Delia at his own pace.

"What are you doing?" Felix asked, as he began to watch as Delia ignored both him and Don and began to blow into the flute she had, gazing out towards the seaside towards the south. Slowly, she began walking towards the coast as she continued to play on this flute.

The tune was serene in nature, easily soothing the minds of both Don and Felix upon listening to its tune. The overall tone of the song Delia was playing was also matching the way the currents towards the sea were showing themselves to be…

… And then the bell on the small tower on the beach began ringing to the tune, as the tune suddenly shifted. While maintaining the calm, soothing tune, the song was now escalating into something fierce even with the overall tone not having changed too much. The tower's bell beginning to ring seemed to cause similar bells placed across Accumula Town to suddenly begin to ring in the same motion.

Without much warning for either Don and Felix, the sea water on the coast had suddenly began to swirl in an intense vortex before something of a large size suddenly burst from the water, a waterspout forming where it was, before the entire spiral dissipated into water particles. As Delia set her flute aside, and gazed up at the creature before her, a rather terrified Don grabbed his own Pokédex to scan the mysterious Pokémon that Delia, for some reason, had decided to summon.

"Lugia, the Diving Legendary Pokémon of Johto. According to locals of Orre, Lugia had once appeared in an enraged state of dementia, before it was purged of this negative influence by two brave trainers. Both of these trainers still carry the "Flute of the Guardians", but nobody has been able to identify the trainers in question." The Pokédex explained, as Don and Felix both looked at Delia with a bit of shock, as Felix was already putting two and two together here.

"So, it was you and your missing husband that solved the Orre Crisis back in the day?" Felix asked of Delia, to which she had nodded to him silently. Don, meanwhile, went from terrified to practically awestruck at the sight of the giant sized, silver avian flying in the air directly in front of them.

"But… why does it still allow you to summon it? Especially here? We're nowhere near Johto's vicinity at all!" Don asked Delia, as Delia looked back at both of them as Lugia moved a bit closer to land, it's giant, powerful wings causing a lot of dust to fly up into the autumn air as it had landed.

"I needed to prove a point to you, Don." Delia said, as she looked up at Lugia for a quick moment, before back towards Don. "I can understand why sheltering Ash for a good portion of his life was a bad idea; I shouldn't have been holding him back at all for all of those years before now in which he wanted to be a Pokémon trainer. It's… just that I don't want any repeats of what had happened to my husband." Delia said, as Felix blinked a bit.

"Can't you just accept the fact he's dead? It's been 18 years almost since we've last seen him! In fact, nobody else has been able to report on his disappearance since that fateful day!" Felix told Delia, as Delia shook her head.

"I'll believe he's dead when I see it for myself…" Delia told them both, as Lugia looked down towards Delia as their conversation had gone on.

 _ **"Gyaaas!"**_  Lugia roared, just to get their attention, as Lugia opened its wings as it was seemingly moving to leave. Delia, noticing this, quickly turned back to Lugia.

"Lugia! Please, listen to me! I've been waiting for the right time to call you forth, and I do believe now is the right time!" Delia began to say towards the giant, silver avian, as Lugia calmed down a bit upon hearing her finally speak up.

"Tell me, please… Is it possible that you can sense any of the Pokémon that my husband had used to help save you from madness all of those years ago…? Is it possible that any of his Pokémon aside from his Pikachu would still be out there?" Delia asked, as Lugia reared its head up and gazed towards the north.

Charging up a powerful torrent of energy within its mouth, a vortex of wind began to surge around Lugia, as Lugia suddenly roared an intense, cyclone of wind from its mouth and out towards inland, as each individual wave of wind energy from the beam attack had weakened as it had progressed…

_**Back at Striaton City…** _

Ash and co. had begun preparing to leave the city, and were doing some extra shopping to prepare to leave. Pichu and Regulus, meanwhile, were outside of their Poké Balls as Pichu was peacefully resting on Ash's shoulder. Regulus, meanwhile, was standing idly with his eyes closed, as if it keeping an eye out on nearby surroundings.

"Cheren, Bianca's going to need some extra blankets for the tent before we leave, the forecast isn't going to get any warmer at this rate." Ash asked of Cheren, as Cheren nodded.

"Ya, I've been looking into some different brands and told Bianca to have one of the clerks allow her to test them to see if any of them were good. Anything else we'll need to get aside from medical items for both our Pokémon and ourselves?" Cheren explained and then asked, as Ash shook his head.

"Aside from what you've just told me, we're good to go. Food and water is stocked up so once we get some additional covering for Bianca for nights we have to camp out we'll be good to leave and-" Before he had a chance to finish, Ash had noticed Regulus' dreadlocks suddenly shoot upward, indicating he had detected something.

 _((… Somebody's calling out to me… somebody… I know…?))_  Regulus told Ash, as Ash looked outside to see the clouds in the sky beginning to push further north at a faster rate, as if being forced to move in that direction. Just as Cheren and Bianca took notice of this as well, they all could hear Lugia's booming cry.

_**"GYAAAS!"** _

The wind currents from before, having weakened in intensity upon arriving to Striaton City, were loud and clear as to their presence, as despite having weakened in power, they were still powerful enough to cause some stray objects outside to go flying into the distance, with several trainers ducking for cover. Regulus, meanwhile, looked towards the wind currents direction, his expression quickly turning to that of a tiny bit of dread.

 _((… Lugia…?!))_  Regulus had questioned, as he had flashback to some of his own past. Many of which involved a rather tall man dressed up in a suit with a fedora, and having facial features akin to Ash's own. His hair was longer than Ash's, but the raven black color was the same. Regulus, having recalled how tall the man stood compared to him, began to notice he was still at a very young age from when he this particular event had happened…

… Then he saw Lugia at the end of the flashback, with its coloration and appearance warped into an incredibly dark, near black shade of violet, with silver, metallic fins across its back and covering its eyes, the latter of which were sharpened in appearance. The next thing Regulus recalled was watching another Lucario appear before him from its Poké Ball, as it had Mega Evolved to take on the corrupted, red eyed Lugia, and that was when the flashback had ended.

 _((… Wow… So that was something my dad had done all of those years ago…?))_  Ash had recalled, as Regulus grinned a little as to fake his own usual, calmer mood.

 _((Well, let me tell you something, Ash…))_  Regulus had begun to tell Ash, completely ignoring the fact that Ash was able to see the memory as well due to the fact Regulus knew Aura could already work in such a way if necessary. What confused him, though, is why Lugia was present in the region for the call to be made about Regulus.

 _((He was an amazing man, and once we get on our way…))_  Regulus said, looking over towards Cheren and Bianca, both having calmed down, and began to pay for their goods.

_((I'll tell you all some of the story of how I had first known of him, not as an ordinary trainer…))_

_((… But as a living legend.))_

**To be continued…**


	17. Chapter 16: Gale of Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regulus gives a small look into some of his own past, but most importantly, an important event regarding Delia and her future husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN: Not going to lie... this chapter was painful to finish.)

"So, I take it you have many things to say about my father, huh?" Ash asked Regulus, as the group was currently resting in the tent late at night. Bianca was already asleep by this point, being kept warm by the numerous blankets covering her, and the fact Cheren was resting beside her to ensure she was warm enough.

 _((Indeed, although I have to thank you for having us crash for the night out here rather than staying in Striaton for the night. Let's just say the information I have to explain should not leave this tent unless somebody else brings it up.))_  Regulus told Ash, as Cheren looked over towards Regulus and Ash.

"So if part of the reason why we're out here is for a quiet place to detail Regulus' background, I suppose you're going to translate." Cheren asked, as Ash nodded.

"Well, since that's clear, I guess now would be a good time to explain some of my father's background." Ash asked Regulus, as Regulus nodded.

 _((Well then, where do I start… Considering the context of why I'm telling you as much as I will be, I might as well begin with the following…))_  Regulus began to speak.

_((It all began with your father on a journey to track down a person who possessed a special artifact, all because both of them have had some form of tie to the Legendary Pokémon known as Lugia. What your father didn't know, however, was that the person who he would ultimately meet would be your own mother…))_

_**19 years ago…** _

_In the middle of a desert in an unknown region, began to brew a sandstorm. As the sandstorm began to kick up, a fierce roar was heard at the epicenter of the storm._

" _Damn! Seize him you fools!" A man yelled, in a deep, commanding voice, while carrying a heavy looking set of equipment on his back like nothing. The man appeared, physically, incredibly strong and muscular, and towered over his own henchmen. His skin was a dark brown, with his nose having a piercing through it and his lower jaw being noticeably huge with a visible under bite. Wearing only green cargo pants, and lacking a shirt altogether sans for a belt which allowed him to carry his back equipment around._

_As a bunch of the man's henchmen were heading towards the sandstorm, several could not proceed, but that didn't stop several others from proceeding anyways due to being armed with goggles to protect their eyes…_

…  _Although it was clear the sandstorm was not the only issue they would have._

_Hearing the roar of the Pokémon causing the sandstorm in the first place, the goons were confronted with various moves being thrown at them with Fire, Ice, and Electricity forging a barrier around the goons to keep them from getting in the way._

_The leader, strapping on goggles of his own to protect his eyes, responded to this nonsense himself. Due to seeing that his own henchmen couldn't handle the Pokémon within the sandstorm._

" _Alright, I've had enough!" He growled, before withdrawing a Poké Ball from his belt. "Honchkrow, demolish this Tyranitar in the way!" The man yelled, as from the Poké Ball appeared a dark, sharp looking avian called Honchkrow, and the opposing Pokémon was a Dinosaurian Pokémon called Tyranitar._

_The Honchkrow, whose eyes were heavily glazed over in what appeared to be absolute fury, didn't mind the sandstorm and proceeded to strike at Tyranitar with Steel Wing, but Tyranitar seemed a little confident about the situation…_

…  _Because Honchkrow failed to realize the entire point of why it was here to begin with, although it was clear that this did not matter to the bird._

_Hearing an explosion across the other side of the wasteland, the leader heard it loud and clear, as his communicator suddenly went off and alerted him to a problem; his underground base was being infiltrated._

" _What?! How did he get in there?!" The leader yelled, absolutely furious, as he immediately grabbed behind his back to grab hold of two, giant size pieces of machinery and slamming both pieces onto the ground. Both of the large pieces, colliding together and shifting parts to form a motorbike, as the man jumped on and immediately drove off into the distance to check on the situation._

" _This is Boss Gromm, get me a scan on who the intruder is! Team Crag will not tolerate this intrusion!"_

_The Honchkrow, meanwhile, seeing it was separate from its own trainer, simply flew back away from the Tyranitar opposing it, letting loose a rather sharp, raspy cackle of sorts…_

…  _As it snapped the neck of the nearest henchman it could perch on. Soon enough, several other goons were screaming in fright of the dark colored bird, but Honchkrow did not care for the nonsense around it, and Tyranitar could easily see why…_

…  _This particular Honchkrow was completely insane, and driven entirely by hatred._

" _Boss Gromm! The Honchkrow's out of control again! Get back here!"_

" _The avian handles himself, there's not anything wrong with him! I'll deal with the intruder first, THEN get back and see what the problem is. Again." Gromm responded back on the communicator._

_Rising up from the exposed hole, appeared to be another avian Pokémon flying up from the wreckage, and standing atop it's back was a seemingly humanoid being standing before Gromm's arrival, as Gromm immediately parked his motorbike with a harsh, sudden screech, as the humanoid revealed itself to be a folded up Pokémon of sorts, in the form of a wasp-like Pokémon with lances for hands._

" _Hah, nice try, ole' Ketchum… Thinking you could outsmart me with this trick yet again…" Gromm began to say, as he drew out a Poké Ball and was carefully preparing for which Pokémon to send out next…_

_However, before Gromm could act, an unknown Pokémon had caught Gromm unguarded and paralyzed him with some sort of electrical move, as Gromm, unable to move properly, fell onto his motorbike. Any man who was paralyzed by such a tactic would've just given up…_

…  _But Gromm, like his hidden opponent, was no ordinary man._

_Moving the motorbike in a way that would cause one of his Poké Balls to detach from his belt, out from the Poké Ball appeared a humanoid Pokémon covered in brown armor and having a noticeably large moustache with a fox-like shape to its body._

" _Alright, Alakazam! Mega Evolve and teach our intruder who's the boss around here!" Gromm yelled, maneuvering his motorbike to suddenly flip onto its side, exposing a Key Stone on the very bottom of it, just as the man was moving to recover from his paralysis and quickly disassemble his motorbike into twin, gigantic weapons mounted on his muscular arms._

_However, the wasp Pokémon did nothing to intervene, even though it was, like the changing Alakazam, armed with its own Mega Stone. The wasp Pokémon, giving a simple gesture to the avian beneath him, had the avian fly back into the base as the wasp flew off towards the direction of Tyranitar, leaving Alakazam with its sole opponent…_

" _So, neither the Pidgeot nor Beedrill want to fight, eh? Just leaving the tiny Pokémon to fight on its own? Very well." Gromm spoke, before ordering his Alakazam to deal with the opposing Alakazam, who had emerged transformed, and levitating five spoons, floating in a meditating pose, as it now possessed a giant, white beard and moustache._

" _Hidden Power." Gromm ordered, as Mega Alakazam moved to attack… but the opponent Pokémon proceeded to use the exact same trick it did to Gromm to paralyze Alakazam. However, Alakazam still insisted on attempting to attack… key word being attempt._

_The small Pokémon, of an uncertain species to Alakazam, was moving at such a fast speed, that Alakazam couldn't properly make any move against it, but the Pokémon was repeatedly hitting Alakazam, and from the looks of it, for quite a chunk of damage with each repeated strike. Alakazam, not able to withstand being tricked like this, focused Hidden Power to fire off around the entire area, but the one time it did hit the opponent…_

…  _It was just rendered null and void on contact._

_Upon hearing further explosions across the desert, Gromm could tell he was not in a very good situation despite having to deal with such a small Pokémon like this one…_

" _Ugh, enough of this! REGROUP!" Gromm yelled, piecing together his weapons back into a motorbike as he drove back off towards the sandstorm, with Alakazam getting knocked out by the small, unknown Pokémon, the small Pokémon following the trail that Gromm left behind._

" _Alright, you're here somewhere…" Gromm spoke to himself, as he parked his motorbike with a screeching halt, as he split them back into weapon mode as he began to walk towards the small sized crater from which the Tyranitar once stood, and the sandstorm beginning to clear. All he could see before him was a man who stood rather tall, even when compared to the equally tall and muscular Gromm._

_The man before him was slim, even with his figure being hidden with a cloak and cape combination, and the only prevalent features was a fedora, raven black hair, and a staff which he had on his back, all the while a small, blue colored Pokémon stood beside him, and hid before the sight of Gromm nearing its trainer._

" _Easy now, Regulus. He's not here to fight." The man spoke in a subdued, quiet monotone, as he glanced up at Gromm's towering form._

" _So, what business do you have in Orre? Team Snagem is no more, Cipher has been reduced to a one man team, and all that remains are my own gang of criminals! You're no stranger to me, at least, but I have to admit; pretty ballsy of you to show up and infiltrate my underground base without a worry's notice. Quite a nerve, Sirius… Quite a nerve..." Gromm began to say, as he simply glared at the man, apparently named Sirius, as even with being taller, Sirius was not intimidated in the slightest._

" _If I recall," Sirius began to speak, "If you said Cipher was reduced to a one man show, then do tell me…" The man spoke, as he took out an Ultra Ball and let loose a familiar Pokémon in front of Gromm; Honchkrow._

"…  _What's the deal with Honchkrow here?" Sirius asked, as Honchkrow maintained its same, psychotic eyes as it glanced up at Gromm, which suddenly caused the giant man's face to sadden a little._

" _After all these years, I thought you were one of them… Guess I was wrong." Gromm began to speak, as he took out his communicator. "Everyone, stand down and begin repairs. False alarm." Gromm spoke to his goons over the communication channel, as Gromm sheathed both of the huge sized weapons onto his back again._

" _So this is why you've been attacking my team this whole time; you were after the Honchkrow the whole time." Gromm spoke, as he moved to sit down on the ground, as Sirius did the same._

" _Sirius Ketchum, the man whom I had once thought was trying to antagonize my whole gang for our attempts to bring justice by hiding among the enemies, and here he is, only seeking to purify the head honcho of our own Pokémon." Gromm began to rant, as Sirius remained quiet and unmoving as he sat in place, as just when Honchkrow was about to try something sneaky, Sirius merely motioned with his left hand, which surrounded itself in aura, as he carefully placed his hand on Honchkrow's forehead._

_Honchkrow's eyes, at first the same, psychotic look they were before, slowly began to take on their red, but otherwise perfectly normal, coloration and appearance, with Gromm being surprised to see Honchkrow back into a mentality that was even remotely sane._

" _Ya know, you could've made this a lot easier had you simply informed us of this ahead of time."_

" _I'm afraid that would've broken your guise as the enemy, Gromm." Sirius pointed out, as Gromm let out a low chuckle._

" _Still, though, what business do you have in Orre? I don't recall any trouble actually brewing that requires your assistance… I mean, don't you have anything better to do?" Gromm asked, watching as Sirius' Pokémon began to gather around, and noticing the Tyranitar, Pidgeot, Beedrill, Honchkrow, a Riolu which Sirius called "Regulus", and the even smaller Pokémon which he still didn't have a clue what it was._

" _By the way, which Pokémon is this that you've brought here with you today? Never seen one that looked like it would be better off as a keychain." Gromm asked, noticing the small sized Pokémon motion towards him._

" _Klefki, he's a Steel/Fairy Type Pokémon from a region called Kalos." Sirius introduced for the Pokémon, apparently called a Klefki, as Gromm's Alakazam floated back into view of the area, and was back to its original state, though it did glare a bit towards Klefki._

" _But seriously, Sirius, why are you here? Again, if it's Cipher you're after, it's a one man show now, but it's been a long time since I recall that guy doing anything out of the ordinary." Gromm asked again, as Sirius responded with a newspaper clip from the "Johto Time's"._

" _I hate to say it's true, but it appears Lugia was not entirely purified from the last time Cipher had their hands on it. Just keep an eye out for Cipher and I'll know this isn't their fault, but I still need to ask…" Sirius began to explain, as he held up a flute in front of Gromm, it's covering entirely silver in coloration, even if it was rusted._

" _Something about Lugia is triggering some former Shadow Pokémon to return to their psychotic ways. I've been wandering the globe endlessly in search of the simple solution to the problem, and the answer lies with whoever has the opposite flute." Sirius began to explain, as he had shattered Honchkrow's Ultra Ball like it was nothing at the moment, since he no longer needed to have Honchkrow as one of "his" own Pokémon._

" _So, all I ask is simple; who has the other flute? I've been informed on the black market that you probably know the person who has it." Sirius told Gromm, as Gromm sighed a bit._

" _It's true, my job and lifestyle with my gang being the moles within the criminal organizations of Orre does require I know what goes on in the black market." Gromm began to speak. "But yeah, I do know the person you're looking for. In fact, she's actually my niece from Kanto." Gromm pointed out._

" _So you do have a family you're caring for, then? Here I thought this whole time that you were just a thug who merely posed as a criminal." Sirius remarked, as Gromm rolled his eyes._

" _Tell me that again by the time you end up having a family of your own, Ketchum. In fact, why don't you have a family of your own to look after?" Gromm asked, as Sirius seemed to cringe at that remark._

"…  _Look, to be honest, I don't even know if I'm suited to the job…" Sirius admitted, as he tried to maintain his calmness in the situation, as Gromm noticed that what he had said had seemed to have upset Sirius._

"…  _Look mate I'm sorry if I hit a nerve there, I was just curious as to why nobody's tried to go after you at this point to try and drag you off into marriage and family life. You deserve it at a time like this!" Gromm began to speak, as Sirius went back to his serious expression._

" _Can we just please change the subject so that I can know where to look for your niece and I can head on my way?" Sirius asked, as Gromm sighed._

" _Well, to say looking for her would be easy would be lying." Gromm started, "Last I heard of her, she was at Sinnoh, and she seems to have been there ever since I had last contacted her last week. Apparently she spends a lot of time in a Church, but I'm not familiar with Sinnoh's cities so I wouldn't know where exactly that would be." Gromm told Sirius, as Sirius nodded._

" _I appreciate the information either way." Sirius said, moving to stand as he returned Tyranitar, Beedrill, and Klefki to their Poké Balls, as Regulus had jumped onto Sirius' back, as Sirius looked towards his, rather oversized, Pidgeot, and very calmly tapped the Key Stone on his necklace to trigger Pidgeot's Mega Stone._

_As Pidgeot was encased in energy, Pidgeot transformed into a slightly larger version of itself with blue tipped wings and tail feathers, in addition to a very lengthy strand of feathers trailing down its back._

" _I take it you're actually going to fly there even considering Lugia's unstable?" Gromm asked, rather surprised that Sirius was intending on getting to Sinnoh in the way he was implying._

_Sirius, not answering, simply got onto Mega Pidgeot's back, as the giant avian spread its wings._

"…  _I can handle Lugia. I've already had to deal with Palkia's onslaught once, I've even had to deal with Dialga's wrath at the same time. Believe me, Sinnoh is nothing new to me. Not even the forbidden one is a surprise to me." Sirius told Gromm, as he looked up into the sky._

" _Either way, be careful. Oh, and try not to leave as much of a mess next time you show up in my desert." Gromm told Sirius, as Sirius silently nodded. Pidgeot taking off into the sky with an initial, powerful leap upwards, soared off into the sky towards the Sinnoh Region…_

"So… This Gromm guy has a motorbike which he can just carry on his back?" Bianca asked, sleepy in her tone as she was silently listening in on Ash's translation of Regulus' story. Cheren, though, wasn't moving too much mainly because by this point, Bianca had unwittingly clung to him as she was beginning to wake up. It would've bothered him a little, but considering this is Bianca, and it's in the middle of night, he didn't bother disturbing her about this.

"Yeah, I know, it's crazy… but looking back on it… My mom actually has her own version of the same basic motorbike. Of course she can't use it since she isn't a huge strong guy like Gromm, though. Heck even I can't lift it yet alone manage to use it." Ash remarked, as Cheren blinked for a moment.

"… Wait, this is the same bike that both my dad and Bianca's dad tried to bid over when Delia showed it to them?" Cheren asked, as Bianca and Ash went rather silent.

 _((… May I continue?))_  Regulus asked Ash, as Ash looked over at Regulus and nodded.

_Upon reaching the coast, Sirius had a difficult time keeping Pidgeot stable in the air, as the wind was beginning to kick up… and not in a good way._

" _Hang on there, Canopus… You're going to have to withstand the winds… Lugia's clearly violent at a time like this…" Sirius told his Pidgeot, nicknamed Canopus, as without warning, a vortex appeared in the water below, as soon enough, a waterspout formed with both pure and tainted water in the mix._

_Emerging from the waterspout, with the water dissipating on emergence, Lugia showed itself in broad daylight, constant flickering between the appearance of a normal Lugia, and the appearance of a much more twisted, monstrous depiction of itself._

" _GYAAAS!" Lugia roared towards Sirius' direction, before charging a surge of energy in its mouth. Sirius, noticing this, stood on Canopus' back, and gazed towards Lugia with his hands charging up an intense aura._

" _Not on my watch!" Sirius said, before pushing his hands out forward with his palms facing Lugia and firing a blast of aura energy towards Lugia to interrupt its attempt to attack Canopus. Lugia, interrupted in the attack it was charging, began to flew back down to the sea water, but not before giving an ominous glare as its twisted looking form before it descended back into the water._

"…  _Alright, we should be safe…" Sirius said._

_((Was it alright to just attack it like that?)) Regulus asked Sirius, who sighed at the question._

" _Well, considering Pidgeot's ability, there would've been no chance to dodge a full charged Aeroblast at all. I had no other choice lest we all got knocked out of the sky…" Sirius said, before moving to sit back down onto Canopus' back._

" _Besides, I wouldn't have had time to play the flute, nor would it have worked properly since we still need to find the other flute…" Sirius said, before focusing again on keeping Canopus on track for Sinnoh…_

_Within a few hours, Sirius made his way to Sinnoh and landed in a place called Hearthome City. It was the only city he could find upon arriving here that had a building remotely resembling a church, and upon landing, he jumped off of Pidgeot's back and returned him to its Poké Ball, as Regulus had jumped off of Sirius' back to look around._

' _Okay, so she should be in here and-' Sirius was thinking to himself for a moment, as within seconds he was already confronted by a woman in white clothing just outside of the church. Something about her made him cringe for a moment, but he ignored it and proceeded to walk up to her._

" _Excuse me, but by any chance do you know anybody with a flute that looks like this?" Sirius asked, as he pulled out the rusted, silver flute for the woman to see, the woman having stayed silent for a moment, before she pulled off some of the robes covering her head and looked at Sirius with a concerned, yet blushing expression._

" _Um… T-That would be me…" She spoke, as she took out the particular flute she had, which looked identical to the one Sirius had, but had rust in places that Sirius' flute didn't have rust at all._

" _So… You're familiar with Lugia then, yes?" He had asked her, as the woman nodded._

" _U-Um… Y-Yeah… Although… I don't exactly know how you're so calm about this circumstance… Especially since we've just met…" She began to say, as Sirius was confused._

"…  _Um… Is that important I take it?" Sirius asked her, as the woman blinked, before glancing away and looking slightly horrified._

' _Please let this guy be truly nice… That's all I ask…' She thought, gulping to herself in nervousness as she looked back at Sirius, and silently nodded._

" _Both of these flutes… It means we're both supposed to be together…" She told him, as Sirius blinked._

"…  _Come again…?" He asked, as if he didn't even hear what she had told him._

" _You don't know, do you…? I'm sorry… I didn't want to see the day where the person with the other flute find me, yet alone imagine who I'd end up marrying because of it… I mean, whether I want to or not… You'll pretty much be who I end up with because of these flutes of ours…" She began to speak, on the verge of breaking down as Sirius grabbed her shoulders to calm her down._

" _Hey, hold on a second! I only know that these flutes allow a person to summon Lugia, nothing else other than that! I don't have a clue what else is special about them, but I need to find out…" Sirius told her, as the woman still didn't look in a better mood at all. "… Could you at least tell me your name, please…?" He added in, in a calmer tone._

" _O-Only if you tell me yours first…" She asked of him, as Sirius sighed a bit since now she unwittingly had him in a trap of sorts._

"…  _S-Sirius…. My name is Sirius…"_

_There was an awkward pause between the two of them, as the woman, after several seconds, began to snicker a little bit, much to both Sirius' relief and confusion._

"…  _What's so funny?" He had asked her._

" _Well, if you're going to be so "Sirius" about it, my name is Delia." Delia introduced, snickering a little over Sirius' name. Admittedly, even Sirius was, nervously, chuckling about it as well._

" _Look, I, um… Do you think you can find the time to be in a better mood to talk if this is too uncomfortable for you? I mean… I really don't want to burden you at all…" Sirius told her, as Delia looked at him and blinked._

" _It's fine… Really… I can handle talking to you…" Delia said, as she moved to grab hold of Sirius' hand, as Sirius hesitated, before taking her hand and allowing her to lead him inside._

"Ouch… Your mom must've felt horrible about that…" Bianca said, as this time even Cheren had an arm wrapped around Bianca as she did with him, as both of them were standing up straight to listen now.

"Y-Yeah… Regulus… Was she hurt at all regarding this revelation?" Ash asked, since he didn't exactly know how to take in this news.

 _((Not sure, although I do believe it may be part of the reason why she's the way she is now… She truly doesn't know what to think of him even to this day, and I hate to sound like a cynic at the moment… but everyone believes he's dead for a good reason, because I would've easily been able to pinpoint exactly where he is in the world otherwise.))_  Regulus told Ash, as Ash looked at Regulus with a bit of disbelief.

"A-Are… you sure at all…?" Ash asked, as Regulus sighed.

 _((Trust me, I think you're better off seeing it for yourself as to that answer; I know the answer, but believe me… You don't want me to tell you that right now. I don't want to unwittingly harm you with that kind of knowledge, mainly because there's a lot more to the truth than you would think…))_ Regulus told Ash, as Ash, having an uncertain and hurt expression, calmed down for a moment to try and calm his nerves, hoping Regulus would continue the story to take his mind off of it…

"Either way, how exactly did Sirius react to the prospect of knowing the fact he's suddenly grounded to Delia due to the fact the flutes pretty much forced them together?" Cheren asked, as Regulus sighed a little bit.

 _((That's not something I want to exactly talk about… It's too… harsh… with how things ultimately went for both of them in the end… If you want knowledge on that, I recommend asking Delia directly, and ONLY Delia. Is that clear?))_  Regulus told them, as Ash nodded, as did Cheren and Bianca once Ash relayed the point to the two of them.

_((Good, now then…))_

_As Sirius and Delia had begun to talk with each other, both of them standing in an isolated room._

"…  _And that's my story on how my own past was…" Sirius told Delia, as Delia looked at him and blinked._

"…  _W-Wow… Even that's horrifying for me to hear… I don't think anybody would like to hear that story being told again…" Delia said, as Sirius nodded._

" _Well now you know why I'm here… And the fact both of us need to confront Lugia with these flutes if this is going to work at all… Although, I do need to ask a favor of you first…" Sirius brought up, as Delia blinked._

" _Y-Yes…?"_

" _I need to catch the Legendary Pokémon Dialga. It's the only way the flutes will work to their full power." Sirius asked, as Delia gasped in shock, backing away from Sirius in fright, looking around to make sure that nobody would've heard him at all._

"…  _P-Please tell me you're joking, yes? I mean, do you even know who you just referred to?!" Delia asked, as Sirius nodded._

" _It's either that or Lugia's corruption returns to what it once was many years prior…" Sirius spoke, looking at Delia with concern, as Delia looked confused, hurt, and incredibly distraught by what Sirius needs to get done. No, what they needed to get done, since the flutes wouldn't allow them to separate in such a way._

" _L-Look… there has to be another way, yes? Just any other way that doesn't involve invoking the wrath of the Original One… please…" Delia asked of him, as Sirius looked at her, sighing a bit as he tried to calm his own nerves._

" _Look… I understand how wrong this sounds for you… But do you truly want to see what dementia Lugia is going through? If Dialga isn't involved in the dual usage of these Flutes, Lugia will persist to continue to fall back into madness…" Sirius told her, as Delia gulped a bit nervously. Her face looked completely mortified, but yet, the emotions that Sirius was sensing from her was contradicting her exterior…_

…  _That was when Delia suddenly forced herself on Sirius, managing to knock him over onto his back, as Sirius was having difficulty grasping what Delia was intending on doing._

" _D-Delia?!"_

" _Listen! If you go through to this extreme, you're going to get yourself killed for no reason at all!" Delia yelled to Sirius, as Sirius gulped a bit in nervousness._

" _L-Look, D-Delia, can you please get off of me…?! Now you're beginning to freak ME out!" Sirius said, as Sirius' aura began to trigger from how… dangerously close Delia was forcing herself onto him._

_Now there was just awkward silence between the two, with Delia visibly beginning to pant as to how out of breath this situation was making her, with Sirius, after carefully managing to move Delia away from himself, panting from the sheer shock of how Delia had just lunged at him._

" _P-Please… Don't try and force yourself on me like that without warning… It's not going to be good for either of us…" Sirius told her, as Delia looked practically scared, as did Sirius himself to a degree…_

…  _Then that's when both of them heard the inevitable…_

" _ **GYAAAS!"**_

_Lugia's roar was heard clear as day, as the next thing Sirius knew was his own aura alerting him to Lugia beginning to attack the area, and had apparently followed him here._

_By instinct, Sirius suddenly grabbed onto Delia and pushed her underneath of him as Sirius suddenly screamed from the intense pain he felt as Lugia's Aeroblast tore apart the church chapel, leaving a bunch of rubble and debris to collapse on the both of them, but most impacting Sirius instead of Delia due to Sirius having put himself as a living shield for Delia's sake._

" _SIRIUS!" Delia yelled in worry, before she could barely hear him utter for her to grab the Premier Ball on his belt and let loose the Pokémon from it, as Delia carefully did what she was told._

_From the Premier Ball emerged Beedrill, and almost immediately upon being sent out of its Poké Ball, Sirius was quick to whisper to Delia, in pain, as to grab the Luxury Ball on his belt, which Delia carefully took and opened and called upon the Pokémon within it._

_It was a Lucario._

_Almost immediately tapping the Key Stone on his necklace, Lucario's Mega Stone was quick to respond to it._

" _Arcturus don't let us both die at a time like this!" Sirius yelled in desperation, as within seconds, Lucario, nicknamed Arcturus, became encased in a sphere of energy and transformed into an altered look almost immediately upon emerging as Mega Lucario._

" _ **GYAAAS!"**_ _Lugia roared, now taking the form of its more twisted looking self, as Arcturus didn't need much prompting from this point out to get what to do, since not only did seeing Sirius in such pain enrage it…_

_((M-Momma…))_

…  _But the weak, near death pleas of her own child practically drove her nuts against the incoming Lugia._

_Suddenly leaping into the air, Arcturus was quick to react with a solid punch directly towards Lugia's face, causing ice to form around Lugia's head in the process, but Lugia broke free of it when it appeared to be charging "Aeroblast" again, although from the looks of it, even Aeroblast was altered in appearance as well to reflect the corruption Lugia was going through._

_Suddenly unleashing a beam of wind waves in the form of dark energy from its mouth, Lugia had seemingly managed to hit Arcturus, sans the fact that the Lucario had already anticipated this type of move and blocked the attack with an invulnerable barrier of sorts that blocked the attack altogether._

_As Arcturus moved to strike again with Ice Punch, Lugia moved to dodged this one… but Arcturus had other plans._

_Suddenly charging a sphere of Ice Type energy in her hands, Arcturus suddenly fired a beam-like projectile towards Lugia that Lugia was unable to avoid on time and got sent crash to the ground, no thanks to the beam having frozen Lugia solid… but even that did not stop Lugia for too long, as Lugia shattered through the ice casing and glared at Arcturus with a look of absolute fury._

" _ **GYAAAS!"**_

…  _However, this time, Lugia's roar did not go unanswered in ferocity._

**" _I HAVE HEARD ENOUGH OF THIS!"_**

_The completely distorted yelling of an incredibly powerful Pokémon suddenly echoed across the entire area, as emerging from a shining light directly above the ruined chapel, appeared the faint image of what many natives taking shelter from the fight could only recall as being the Original One; Arceus._

_Sirius and Delia, moving from the wreckage to try and see if their respective flutes will weaken Lugia's rage at all, were quick to take notice of who had arrived on the situation._

**" _DIALGA, CLEAN UP THIS MESS BEFORE ME! THERE'S A CERTAIN SOMEBODY I NEED TO PAY A VISIT NOW..."_**

_A halo-like projection suddenly appearing beside Arceus, it soon solidified into a blue colored portal made of diamonds that called forth and materialized Dialga into shape, and afterwards, Arceus vanished into a bright light that caused an aurora to appear above the skies as a direct result._

" _ **GUGYUGUBAH!"**_ _Dialga roared towards Lugia, as the darkened Lugia was not even remotely intimidated in the slightest by Dialga's response, and simply roared back with just as much intensity._

_As the diamond in Dialga's chest suddenly began to glow with a bright energy, and the sharp, metal portions of Dialga extending in size as Dialga's entire body was glowing with a bright blue energy, Dialga flew into Lugia head on and tackled the giant avian, but Lugia was not going to let Dialga so easily defeat it, as Lugia, using its giant wings as makeshift hands, knocked Dialga back with enough force to send the Temporal Legendary Pokémon down to the ground, as each time Dialga tried to get back up, Lugia kept repeatedly striking at Dialga._

…  _However, due to the focus on Dialga, Sirius and Delia were able to get towards a safer point out of range, both of them looking at each other with a bit of hesitance._

" _Well, we've got Dialga here now, let's just hope it'll listen to the flutes." Delia said to Sirius, as Sirius nodded._

" _Rodger that…" Sirius said, as he grabbed hold of his own flute, as Delia did with hers. Both of them had begun to play the tune that both of them had memorized upon acquiring this flute._

_The tune, in sound, was that of a serene tone overall, and when backed together with each other, the tune echoed in such a way that Lugia practically froze in place just to listen to the tune. As Dialga was getting back up to counterattack Lugia, Lugia still was beginning to act hostile towards Dialga, even as the tune was being played._

_Upon hearing the tune for herself, Arcturus determined that Lugia wasn't able to properly hear the flutes being played, and thus decided to run up and jump onto Dialga's head and project her own aura directly towards Lugia as to amplify the sound of the song for Lugia to properly hear._

_Lugia, after nearly being prepared to fire off Aeroblast again, suddenly ceased in movement, as the song that Sirius and Delia had begun to intensify with an increasing interval, with each interval causing Dialga to charge up its own attack against Lugia, and once the song was drawing to a close, what appeared to be a vortex of an intense energy was charging up in Dialga's mouth…_

…  _And upon the song finishing, Dialga fired upon Lugia with a powerful projectile that, upon impact, caused Lugia to freeze in movement altogether, before suddenly the very fraction of time itself that surrounded Lugia suddenly shattered, causing the normal looking Lugia to fall onto the ground, with the twisted monstrosity that was attacking them being stuck in place, shattered from the impact of the attack._

" _Now, let's purge the dark half altogether!" Sirius said to Delia, as both of them had begun playing the final few notes to the song on their flutes, as the corrupted Lugia, or rather, what remained of it, began to shatter like glass before a glowing light appeared within itself and emanating from the cracks of the physical body._

" _ **G-G-Y-AA-AA-SS…."**_

_Within seconds upon letting out that final roar, the dark form of Lugia completely exploded in such a bright flash that the entire area became lit up from the intensity of the light from the explosion, as Sirius grabbed hold of Delia's arm to stabilize her just as he saw she was about to fall over._

_Within seconds, though, the explosion had dissipated, and Dialga was still visible in the area for a brief while, as the various damages caused by the dark Lugia was being reversed by Dialga's own abilities over time, as Regulus, soon joined by Arcturus, soon arrived back by Sirius' side, as Sirius returned Arcturus to her Poké Ball as Sirius carefully picked up Regulus and held him onto him, just happy to know he's safe in all of this._

" _ **Gugyugubah!"**_ _Dialga roared all of a sudden, as Dialga looked over towards Sirius and Delia, and made a bowing gesture towards the two of them, before disappearing into diamond-like fragments and ascending back to the heavens._

" _W-We did it…" Delia said, partially smiling from her relief, as Sirius looked over at her, his overall expression having softened towards her, as Delia takes him by surprise again and hugs him, with Sirius carefully hugging her back after a moment of hesitation._

" _Looks like we did…"_

 _((So now you know most of the story of their first meeting with each other, and some of what had lead up to it.))_  Regulus told Ash, as Ash had translated what Regulus had said to Cheren and Bianca… only to see that the two of them had fallen asleep by this point, with Regulus a bit concerned.

 _((… Isn't that technically HER side of the tent only…?))_  Regulus had asked, as Ash nodded but shrugged as well.

 _((Let them rest like that. They'll both be grateful for it.))_  Ash replied, as Regulus nodded.

 _((Either way, I'm assuming you're satisfied with the story I have told?))_ Regulus asked of Ash, as Ash shrugged again.

 _((Well, I'll admit, you are hiding at least some of the facts, but I can't entirely blame you since you were so young at the time.))_  Ash said, before adding.  _((Although… I'm probably not going to look at my mom the same way again, especially if she still actually has the flute that belonged to her.))_ Ash finished, as Regulus nodded.

 _((It's only natural you'd come to that answer, but I must warn you, at least try and talk with Delia with some degree of sensitivity over the subject of Sirius when you decide you want to talk with her about it.))_  Regulus told Ash, as Ash nodded.

 _((Fair enough, although right now, all I can focus on is getting some rest.))_  Ash told Regulus as he turned off a small, portable lamp within the tent before laying down to go to sleep, as Regulus, having been comfortable where he was sitting the whole time, decided to finally sleep as well.

_**Back at Accumula Town…** _

After Lugia had listened for a response from any Pokémon in range of Unova or otherwise, Lugia looked down at Delia and noticed how sleepy she looked, but still stayed up long enough to try and get an answer from Lugia.

As Lugia growled towards her to try and tell her what signals it had found, Delia's eyes shot open at the revelation.

"So… Regulus is alive, the Pikachu are alive, obviously, but you're also saying that…"

"Canopus is also alive as well?!"

**To Be Continued…**


	18. Chapter 17: An awkward start for today

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash quickly learns that his own aura can easily influence Regulus' behavior at odd times...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN: Here's to an early Merry Christmas for you folks. I was hoping to have another mature oneshot up by this point, but I was too tired and decided to simply work on the next chapter for this story instead.)

It was early in the morning, and two Team Plasma members were running for their lives faster than what their pursuers were, and they were lucky for it.

"Get back here with that Pokémon! It's not yours!" Cheren's yelling was heard far behind them, all the while, Bianca was trailing behind him with a little girl following after Bianca as well.

"You fools! You can't even use your Pokémon to your full potential, and yet this is how you react to us relieving your Pokémon from you? How rude!" One of the Team Plasma members yelled back towards them, all the while Ash's eyes began to glow an intense gold, with all that could be seen from their distance being an intense glow surging from Ash's necklace.

"Uh, sir, what are you doing?" One of the grunts asked the other, as the other responded by suddenly getting hurled backwards with an intense force, before his fellow grunted quickly followed him to the ground.

As Ash and co. caught up, Regulus had caught up to the grunts before them and pinned both of them to the ground.

"Good job, Regulus!" Ash said, as Regulus nodded, as Ash helped up both of the grunts up to get them off of the ground, both of them clearly cringing after they were back on their feet.

"… Aldith's not going to like this, isn't she?"

"Nah, actually… I'm absolutely livid." A female, somewhat sultry voice was made clear as the unusual member of Team Plasma made her entrance on the back of a large sized, avian Pokémon, which Bianca took the chance to scan with her Pokédex all the while Ash and Cheren kept their attention on Team Plasma.

"Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon and the final form of Rufflet. The more scars they have, the more respect these brave soldiers of the sky get from their peers." Bianca's Pokédex had finished, with Bianca suddenly looking forward in a touch of fear once she felt somebody's faint, cold breath on the back of her neck.

"… Good. Now you know." The voice whispered to Bianca, before the presence suddenly faded entirely, and Bianca was standing still, practically scared from how she felt somebody approach her that closely without either herself or her friends having realized it. This, of course, did not go unnoticed by the female in black before them.

"Relax now, dearie. It always hurts the first time, after all…" The woman spoke, as the two Team Plasma grunts before her simply glanced at her and blinked.

"Um, lady Aldith, what are you talking abou-" Without a moment's notice, Aldith simply responded by punching out the grunt, and taking a Poké Ball off of his belt in the process, looking down at the little girl hiding behind Bianca.

"I do believe this one belongs to you." Aldith said, tossing the Poké Ball towards the girl, which the girl opened up and was thankful to see her Pokémon back.

"Lillipup!" She spoke cheerfully, as the small, Dog-like Pokémon barked cheerfully as well, causing Aldith to simply groan in disgust as she dragged both of the two male grunts towards her Braviary.

"Take them to Ghetsis. They've missed out on a few details." Aldith told Braviary, as the two grunts moved to protest.

"Wait, hold on! We were informed that Lord- Ghetsis," As if on cue, the grunt had swapped out the name of who he was about to mention with Ghetsis' own name from a simple glare from Aldith, "Er, excuse me, but I do believe you're interfering with the plan…?" He finally finished, as Aldith didn't bother to respond; aside from snapping her fingers, that is.

Braviary, on cue, just grabbed both of the male grunts with his feet and flew off with the two of them. The group, at the moment, didn't know what to think of Aldith; Cheren was staring at her as if completely confused, Bianca was still terrified from a moment ago, and Ash looked at least calm in expression… not that the same could be said for Regulus.

 _ **((Is she doing us a favor…?))**_ Regulus asked Ash, confused as to how he was seeing a member of Team Plasma clear as day, even if the uniform was different both in overall aesthetic and colors, and yet she simply put a halt to the two grunts they were chasing.

 _((Not too sure, I'll ask.))_ Ash told Regulus, as Ash moved to walk up towards Aldith, which caught her attention as she suddenly looked towards Ash, her expression a mixture of boredom and… something else.

"Well… You're certainly an interesting young lad." Aldith spoke, her tone suggestive as Ash looked a bit confused and surprised by Aldith's behavior, as Cheren looked visibly disgusted all the while Bianca snapped out of her trance-like state and looked at Ash.

"Hey! Back off, you're scaring him!" Bianca suddenly shouted, which took Cheren by surprise at her sudden, out of nowhere outburst, as Bianca, along with Cheren, moved to grab Ash away from Aldith's approach. Ash, meanwhile, was just sort of frozen in expression.

"U-Um… Nice to meet you as well…?" Ash said to Aldith, as Aldith chuckled a little.

"You're certainly cute, I'll give you that much." Aldith spoke, as she began to move closer to Ash despite how Bianca, in addition to Cheren, didn't seem to think she was up to any good. Even Regulus seemed like he was beginning to get annoyed by this.

"So… What's somebody like you doing with all of the others here? Why not join Team Plasma? We'll be scoring like no tomorrow…" Aldith began to say, a finger carefully tilting Ash's head upwards, as she was moving to lean towards him, as Ash visibly began to freak out from the motion as his aura triggered out of nowhere to force Aldith away from himself.

Aldith, having been knocked by slightly, looked at the angered glares she was receiving from Bianca, Cheren, and Regulus, soon joined in by Ash's Pichu appearing from underneath his hat.

"Okay first you of all people shout for her to leave him alone, and then the moment this woman tries to kiss Ash that suddenly his aura flares up?" Cheren whispered to Bianca, as Bianca blushed a tiny bit.

"I, er, got a little defensive over Ash's sake… S-Sorry…" Bianca whispered back, before adding. "Besides, how else would you feel when some stranger tries to just walk up to you and get too close for comfort?" Bianca asked Cheren, as Aldith's expression went on to a silent glare.

"… Well this is a disappointment. Could've even had an audience with this one as well, but some dumb Lucario has to step in and force me off and-" Aldith interrupted herself, as she noticed something was wrong; Regulus, despite being Mega Lucario, had virtually no aura flaring up at the moment. Ash, meanwhile, had an aura flaring up around his body like no tomorrow, all the while his expression was still both surprised and confused.

"So, mind telling us who you are and-" Ash tried to ask, but Aldith simply responded by tossing a smoke ball onto the ground to try and escape… only for her to grunt in pain as the smoke began to fill the area.

 _ **((Think that would've fooled me?!))**_ Regulus stated, as he caused a small downburst to have the smoke clear, as noticed he was lifting Aldith off of the ground by her leg, as Aldith was visibly flustered and angered by this notion.

"Let go of me you… you…!" Aldith tried to say, just as she heard Braviary's call from above and noticed his return. Upon snapping her fingers, Braviary caused a giant downburst of air towards Regulus, which only made him flinch partially while it knocked Ash and the others backwards a bit.

"Let go of me already will you?!" Aldith began to plead to Regulus, as Regulus' expression quickly began to get agitated with Aldith's words. As a result, when he simply dropped her onto the ground, he immediately moved to kick her in the stomach to pin her to the ground, as Ash snapped out of his confused state to look at what Regulus was doing.

"Hey, Regulus, what's wrong?!" Ash asked the Aura Pokémon, but Regulus didn't seem to respond at all, all the while Regulus raised both of his hands up, and within seconds flat, Regulus had left a smoldering crater of punches right where he held Aldith at, as only now did Regulus finally let go of her for real this time.

Aldith, visibly disturbed by Regulus' hostility towards her, was confused as to why Regulus didn't outright kill her at all when he clearly had the chance to. Ash's aura, having fully dissipated by this point, caught Cheren's eye as he noticed that when Ash's own aura calmed, so did Regulus as well.

"… W-Why…?" Aldith asked, her voice sounding scared, confused, and overall lost tone as Regulus simply stood his ground, his expression calming down due to Ash's aura having calmed, but his anger remaining and frustration remaining.

Nothing, though, would stop him from doing what he did next...

" _ **GO!"**_ Regulus suddenly yelled, but instead of his usual "Aura Speak" he typically used for himself and Ash, and possibly others as well...

… He had just spoke clear as day, able to be heard by Bianca, Cheren, the little girl, and Aldith clear as day, with only Ash not being as surprised by this due to having talked with Regulus like it was perfectly normal by this point.

Aldith, without saying much of a word, snapped her fingers as she had Braviary pick her up and fly off with her, all the while Regulus' own frustration finally calmed and he reverted back to his prior, ordinary form of a Lucario.

"D-Did he just…?" The little girl began to ask, as her Lillipup looked just as stunned.

"Speak…?" Bianca and Cheren both asked Ash, as Ash looked at Cheren and Bianca in confusion.

"… You two heard that? … How?" Ash asked, before Regulus suddenly turned towards the group as hands had a brief aura emanating from them.

"For the record calm yourself down and stand up straight. Second, that woman got a little too close to you for both of our own comforts." Regulus began to speak clear as day, in human tongue, to the entire group. The girl and her Lillipup, by this point, had already ran off before Regulus could even finish.

"So… You mean you felt some of my own emotions regarding that strange woman…?" Ash asked Regulus, as Regulus nodded.

"I apologize; your own aura had caused me to act of line for a moment or two. Your aura, whenever I'm Mega Evolved, can easily influence by own emotions due to the fact you're the one carrying the Key Stone that allows my own Mega Stone to activate. As a result, you felt aroused, and I, on the other hand, felt increased aggression and hostility from it." Regulus began to explain. "My point is, be careful with how long you decide to keep me or any other Pokémon Mega Evolved; your own aura can much more easily influence a Pokémon's emotions when Mega Evolved, so it's going to cause problems if you can't keep yourself under control."

"Alright, so now that I know that, mind if we ask something else?" Ash brought up, as Bianca and Cheren were about to open their mouths to ask something.

"Yes, and no. I could technically speak the whole time in your own tongue. However, as I do not prefer to directly speak, and from the fact my throat has been irritatingly sore for a while now, don't expect moments like these too often unless I feel at ease with my surroundings." Regulus explained as to how he's able to speak human languages directly, but also why he didn't do so before.

"Is that it?" Regulus asked, as Ash, Bianca, and Cheren all nodded, as Regulus sighed.

 _((Good. Now let's get on our way.))_ Regulus said towards Ash, as Ash sighed.

"Well this is going to be an awkward start for today…"

**To Be Continued...**


	19. Chapter 18: Seeking the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon arrival to Nacrene City, Cheren leaves for a while to seek out a new Pokemon for his team, all the while Ash and Bianca stay behind to look around and meet N once again.

"Lord Ghetsis, we seem to have trouble on our hands…" One of the two Team Plasma grunts from earlier had spoken within the depths of an unknown, dimly lit area. Ghetsis, wearing a set of black robes in comparison to his usual, weird looking outfit, looked down at the grunts in question as they were speaking.

"Yes…?" He had questioned.

"It was a trainer with a Lucario, sir…" The other grunt spoke, as Ghetsis narrowed his eye from that remark.

"A trainer with a Lucario…? Did you get this trainer's name…?" Ghetsis had asked, as the two grunts freaked a bit, looking over behind them towards Aldith who had simply shrugged.

"These two were in such a hurry, my lord. They had asked for me to pick them up with such haste that they had neglected to get anything of value from the trainer in question." Aldith lied to Ghetsis, as Ghetsis stood tall and glared at Aldith, before turning his attention back towards the two grunts.

"Very well… Then did you get anything else from the witnesses?" Ghetsis had asked, as Aldith took the time to grab a Poké Ball from her bag and tossed it over to Ghetsis, who had opened it to see what was inside.

It was a Munna.

"Ah, good. So you did end up stealing at least something… shame it has virtually no use by this point anyways." Ghetsis said, as Aldith smirked a bit, before Ghetsis' attention turned back towards the terrified Munna. "I will determine its fate. If the situation calls for it to be returned, I will return the Pokémon on my own. Besides, even if I were to dispose of it the other way, it wouldn't yield any successful results…" Ghetsis said to Aldith, who nodded in understanding, as Ghetsis looked down towards the two male grunts who had both cringed in fright upon seeing Ghetsis' expression.

"These two, however, will do the job just fine in comparison." Ghetsis said, motioning for Aldith to leave the room as Ghetsis had returned Munna to her Poké Ball for safe keeping. Meanwhile, Ghetsis snapped his fingers to cause a small elevator to appear from the ceiling and descend.

"Now, then. Since you two are the unlucky grunts to dispose of for the week, to say you've outlived your own usefulness would be troublesome. But regardless, your own flesh and blood will be exactly what my… royal brat, deserves…" Ghetsis told them, as both of them suddenly had a look of dread.

"B-But Ghetsis, sir! We were informed by Aldith that we had the wrong plan with trying to steal a Pokémon! What are you going to do with us?!" He had begun to plead, as Ghetsis didn't give much of an expression to this question.

"Because Aldith's job was to fetch two grunts from across the region who have failed me, and their fates…" Ghetsis said, beginning to step away from the main part of the room as he had a set of doors shut behind him.

The grunts, turning their back towards the small elevator, noticed a blue Pokémon covered in black feathers and sporting two, eyeless heads, while the Pokémon itself dragged itself on four legs and also sported two "wings".

"Uh… G-Ghetsis, sir…?" One of the grunts had said, looking back towards where Ghetsis had stood and suddenly began to hear the screams of his fellow grunt right next to him, in addition to what sounded like a vicious mauling having taken place.

Not even daring to move from where he had stood, he only glanced slightly towards where his fellow grunt had stood beside him, and all he could see was a motionless hand being dragged out of sight, all the while gnawing sounds were present across the room. The Draconic snarling didn't do anything to make the situation better…

As the grunt looked back towards his fallen friend, all he could see was nothing short of a corpse being eaten from by a ravenous, bloodthirsty Pokémon. He was lucky he wasn't noticed yet, as it was clear the Pokémon was too busy bickering with itself due to the two heads it had having minds of their own.

"… H-Help… p-please…?" The grunt faintly began to whisper towards the door where Ghetsis had left through, as he was gazing upon the heinous Pokémon that was too busy either feeding or arguing with itself to notice him. The moment he knew the carcass had nothing left, though, and if nobody stepped in, he would be next…

"Ghetsis?" The grunt had called out, but he got no answer. Even the twin headed Dragon Pokémon was eerily silent all of a sudden, and this lasted for a solid minute of silence, as the twin headed Pokémon simply began to sniff around the room, indicating to the grunt that it had finished feeding and, hopefully, wasn't any more hungry than it was before…

… He was wrong…

As the grunt had tried to escape the room through the same door that Aldith had went through, he noticed one thing odd about the door; it wasn't a door at all, but a solid wall. With the two headed Pokémon having reared one of its blood stained heads over towards the grunt's desperate movements, it made a gesture towards its other head to notice as well.

Within seconds, the grunt had tried to make a break for it towards the other side of the room… but was stopped where he stood by ominous, feminine hands, as emerging from the shadows behind him stood Aldith herself.

"Feeling scared, pretty boy?" She had asked him, as the twin headed Pokémon slowly made its way over towards the grunt that Aldith held still.

"Are you crazy?! Is Ghetsis crazy?! Are you ALL crazy?!" The grunt began yelling to Aldith, as Aldith merely chuckled a bit darkly at the situation, before moving to push the grunt out into the room by force.

"You've already had your fun with me, call this your payment for your loyalty to me…" She said in a cold tone, as she stayed within the shadows long enough to witness the Dragon Pokémon proceed to maul him, relishing his screams of utter horror as she laughed for a small moment, as she faded from view.

"So, why are we keeping around the Munna if we're simply going to return it?" Her voice was heard asking Ghetsis, who had watched the whole thing entirely and smirked.

"As bait; if there is indeed a trainer with a Lucario out there trying to stop us, then I wish to see this trainer for myself to know for certain if this trainer is a threat or not." Ghetsis began to explain, "Besides, a Pokémon as weak as Munna neither provides a meal nor an actual challenge for a growing Zweilous like the fierce beast here." Ghetsis finished, before adding one last note.

"Check on the grunts. Keep them in line and cover this mess up." Ghetsis added in, as Aldith nodded as she walked out into one of the main rooms of the hideout, for as dark as it was.

"Yes, Lord Ghetsis…" She added in with a sultry, dry tone, as she headed out into the base's dark depths to seek out any problems with keeping the infantry in check…

_**Meanwhile, at the city limits for a city in which Ash, Cheren, and Bianca have arrived to…** _

"Nacrene City, we finally arrive!" Ash shouted as he and his friends had walked up to the city's entrance, with Bianca looking somewhat frightened from earlier still, but Cheren looking relatively relaxed... before the situation had hit him like a truck.

"Nacrene City… Normal Type Gym…" Cheren began to say as his eyes went a bit wide.

"… None of my Pokémon know Fighting Type moves." Cheren said, as he went to punch the nearest thing he could see out of frustration… only to suddenly halt when he saw who was standing before him. "You again?!" Cheren yelled in panic, as the person, N, did not react in the slightest to Cheren having almost punched him.

"… Something bothering you?" N had asked, as if not even noticing Cheren's small outburst.

"Yeah… You're still talking too fast." Cheren said, before moving off to look around. "Hey Ash, mind if I head out on my own for a while? I want to prepare for the upcoming gym battle." Cheren asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll keep an eye on Bianca for you." Ash told Cheren, as Cheren smiled and nodded, before moving to leave further into the city to head towards the forested areas beyond the city. N, looking back at Ash, blinked a bit.

"What's his problem?" N asked Ash, as Ash shrugged, all the while Bianca was quietly listening as she looked around.

"Not sure. He wants to prepare for the upcoming gym battle with a Normal Type Gym Leader." Ash told N, as N sighed.

"It seems none of you have yet to realize it yet…" N told Ash, before moving to grab a Poké Ball from his pocket. "I wish to see the truth of Pokémon within Poké Balls, the ideals of how trainers should be, and a future where Pokémon become perfect…" N began to tell Ash, as Ash blinked a bit in confusion before N turned his attention back towards Ash.

"Do you feel the same?" N asked Ash, as Ash, uncertain of how to answer, responded with the following...

"I do believe that such a future is possible, but if this Team Plasma group has any idea on how to go about accomplishing such a future, then I'm afraid they're going about it the wrong way." Ash answered, with N smiling and nodding.

"Perhaps…" N began to say, "But regardless, I think my friends and I should test you if you can truly see this future, too." N said, before opening up the Poké Ball he was carrying and sending out a Pidove from it. Ash, noticing this, drew out a Poké Ball and called up Pansear.

"Alright then, if it's a battle you want, you could've just asked." Ash said, before tilting his hat to the side as his hands began to pulse with an aura around them, which did not go unnoticed by somebody else who was watching the scene.

"Pokémon, GO!" Ash and N both called, before Pansear and Pidove both went at each other. Pidove was quick to attack on its own with a windy attack from the power of its wings, but Pansear was also quick to ignite the area with those winds from the flames he had begun to summon around himself.

"Alright, Pansear! Incinerate!" Ash called, as Pansear growled a tiny bit, before suddenly spewing a series of flaming sparks from his mouth towards Pidove, as Pidove was quick to dodge the attacks. Flying past Bianca with Bianca seemingly not noticing Pidove at all, Bianca was accidentally struck by Pansear's Incinerate attack, as one of Bianca's Pokémon, a larger looking, Dog-like Pokémon which seemingly was originally Bianca's Lillipup, put out the flames with a powerful looking, Water Type Move.

"Thanks, Herdier…" Bianca said, not seeming to face Herdier's direction as Herdier barked to try and get her attention.

"Hey, Bianca, how did you not see that?" Ash asked towards Bianca, as Bianca blinked, before moving to face Ash and N.

"S-Sorry… I might just have something in my eye… Continue." Bianca told Ash and N, as N's Pidove was quick to attack Pansear with a powerful strike, just as Pansear countered with a spinning technique and spewing flames across the battlefield and completely blinding Pidove with the surrounding flames, before taking it out with a powerful, scratching attack.

"Alright!" Ash called towards Pansear, who quietly stood back up in a prideful stance, as N called back Pidove, only to immediately let it back out with a blue aura surrounding the Poké Ball, as Pidove flew off into the wild.

"Impressive. Perhaps you should take some lessons from your own Pansear. He has skills which even I'm not familiar with." N told Ash, referring to Pansear's spinning technique. "Now then, allow me to send out my next Pokémon! Go, Tympole!" N called, as appearing from another Poké Ball which N had was a small, tadpole-like Pokémon called Tympole, which silently croaked a little before immediately opening up to strike at Pansear with a bubbling attack and soaking Pansear's flames in the area.

"Alright, Pansear! Let's try something new! Solar Beam!" Ash called, as Pansear nodded and began charging up solar energy. Meanwhile, Tympole moved to attack Pansear yet again with the same, bubbling foam stream. This time, though, when the attack hit Pansear, Ash's aura kicked in and Pansear began to glow with an intense aura matching Ash's own.

"Hmm?" One of the onlookers noticed about Ash and his Pansear, as N looked rather impressed with Ash's technique here.

"Yes…! Now this is the power that I desire!" N said, laughing a little bit, before immediately stopping to notice Pansear moving to blast Tympole with Solar Beam, striking the Tadpole Pokémon with a powerful attack and being taken out from the same attack. N, moving to heal Tympole real quick, carefully returned the Pokémon back to its Poké Ball only to immediately release Tympole just like he had with Pidove, with Tympole quickly leaving.

"Do you think this is making you feel any better?" N asked, as his tone began to calm down and become more serious in tone.

"This is what trainers have done for years on end, N. Why is this any different? The only difference I see is you releasing your own Pokémon after each round." Bianca told N, as N blinked.

"Pokémon do not require humans to constantly look after them. For Pokémon to become perfect, they must be freed from their own trainers. Don't you understand?" N asked, before sending out his last Pokémon; a small, humanoid Pokémon carrying a log.

"Alright, Timburr, let's wrap this up." N called towards his Pokémon, called a Timburr, as just when Pansear was about to move to attack again, N called for Timburr to use "Retaliate" and thus in a single swing with its log, Timburr immediately knocked Pansear out of the battle with a single strike.

"Alright, looks like you're getting the hang of things." Ash told N, before moving to return Pansear to his Poké Ball, as Ash smiled at it while saying "Good job nevertheless, Pansear." Ash said, before calling out his next Pokémon of choice.

"Alright, Tranquill, let's finish this!" Ash called, sending Tranquill out of her Poké Ball as Tranquill let out a bird's cry with a shiny sparkle around herself as she emerged, as Tranquill immediately brought the fight against N's team of Pokémon to a finish with a powerful torrent of air unleashed from Tranquill's wings blasting Timburr out of the battlefield entirely, as N scoffed a bit towards Ash and moved to pick up Timburr and heal it up.

"Good job, Timburr. You're help was gladly appreciated." N told the Muscular Pokémon, before, just like the other two, releasing Timburr into the wild as Timburr was quick to leave the area. N, glancing at Ash, had this to say. "It seems I cannot truly see the future just yet… the world has yet to be determined." N told Ash, as Ash blinked.

"What are you going on about?" Ash asked N, as Bianca moved up towards Ash as she looked over towards N.

"I'm saying that right now, my friends are not strong enough to save all of the Pokémon in this region, or even across the world. Maybe I just can't solve the equation that will change the world." N began to say, "So maybe, after all of this thinking, I simply need power; enough power to make anyone agree with me." N began to say, before moving to walk off slightly.

"I know what power I need, now; Reshiram! The Legendary Pokémon that created the Unova Region alongside the Hero of Truths." N said, before glancing back towards Ash with a cheerful glance.

"Now it's my turn to become that hero- and you and I will be friends!" N said, before moving the leave the area entirely, as Ash was confused by what N was saying, before suddenly perking up a little on something he noticed.

"Ash, what is he referring to…?" Bianca asked, as Ash looked at her and sighed.

"I don't honestly know, but he seems very detached from everything around him…" Ash told Bianca, as Ash looked around in the nearby vicinity to see if Cheren was back at all. "And it looks like Cheren will be away for a while, so why don't we look around for a while until he gets back?" Ash asked Bianca, as Bianca nodded.

"By the way, Ash, mind if I ask something?" Bianca said, as Ash looked at her and blinked.

"Yes?"

"Why is your Aura turning black?" Bianca asked, as Ash blinked, before looking back towards the building he was looking towards in the first place from when he had noticed something. He was looking towards a museum building with a Pokémon Gym logo beside it.

"It's because my own Aura is detecting the Aura of something else. What it is, though, I don't know…" Ash said, as he began to see a small, yet intensely powerful aura emanating from the museum when he had closed his eyes to focus… an aura of pitch black, yet surrounded with a blue aura just enough to indicate the true nature of this Pokémon.

"And whatever it is, it's… calling out to me."

**To Be Continued...**


	20. Chapter 19: The Romantic Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheren is forced to confess some things he has been trying to hide from himself about his personal feelings during a confrontation with Virizion.

"So, might I ask who you are by any chance?" A woman had asked as she had approached Ash and Bianca, her tone that of authority and discipline. Ash and Bianca, looking at the dark skinned woman, responded with their names.

"My name is Bianca…" Bianca said a bit shyly.

"And my name is Ash Ketchum." Ash added in, as the woman blinked upon hearing Ash's full name.

"Well, looks like your usage of Aura and Awakening Mode wasn't a coincidence after all." She complimented, as she looked at Ash with a bit of a stern gaze. "Although, due to that, it means you won't be able to challenge my gym like any other trainer, young lad." She began to explain.

"My name is Lenora, you see, and I am the Gym Leader of this small city." She introduced, as she took a Poké Ball from her belt and called forth a moderately oversized, pink colored Pokémon from it with a bracer on its arm with a strange stone, which Bianca took the time to scan with her Pokédex.

"Audino, the Hearing Pokémon. Its auditory sense is astounding. It has a radar-like ability to understand its surrounding through slight sounds." The Pokédex explained, as Bianca looked at Audino with awe.

"Um, excuse me… But why is this Audino so large?" Bianca asked, as she noticed the near 5 foot height of the Pokémon in question, as Lenora chuckled a little.

"This isn't just an ordinary Audino, young one. This one has lived to see many things in her life, even having a family of her own." Lenora explained, as she opened up another Poké Ball to reveal a much smaller, relatively normal sized Audino. This one, though, lacked the equipment of the much older Audino.

"So, your older Audino can Mega Evolve, right?" Ash asked Lenora with interest, as Lenora nodded.

"Sure can, but I'm pretty certain outside in clear day isn't necessarily a good spot to showcase it. Not many people native to Unova are even aware as to what Mega Evolution even is…" Lenora told Ash, as this is when Ash decided to grab a Poké Ball from his belt and let out Regulus into broad daylight, causing Lenora's eyes to widen as she saw him.

"Regulus, is that really you after all of these years?!" Lenora asked, as Regulus looked kind of stunned by Lenora's sudden yelling, as Regulus looked up at her and nodded.

"Well, I'll be. You've actually grown up into quite a strong looking Lucario compared to when I had last seen you as a tiny little Riolu." Lenora told him, as Regulus was visibly blushing a little as he remained silent. "Heh, your mother must be proud of you… well… at least… if she were still around…" Lenora silently added, as Regulus sighed.

 _((Of course she would've been… I've spent nearly 17 years to train into what I've forged myself into who I am now.))_ Regulus spoke up with his own aura, and looked over towards Ash, who simply blinked in confusion as to what Lenora and Regulus were saying.

 _((… Did… something bad happen?))_ Ash asked Regulus, as Regulus looked away from Ash, staying silent for a good moment as he did.

 _((… As your mother and everyone else has probably said, nobody's heard a word from your father or any of his other Pokémon in ages now.))_ Regulus told Ash, as Lenora noticed how both he and Ash were exchanging glances in a specific manner, so she wasn't confused in the slightest as to the fact it appeared that Ash and Regulus were talking to each other before her own eyes.

"So, I assume you two and your other friend have come to challenge my own gym, yes?" Lenora asked both Ash and Bianca, as the two of them nodded.

"So, I'm not certain if you're aware of this or not, Ash, but due to what I'm seeing from both your fight with that trainer a moment ago and from what I'm seeing with Regulus here, I'm an not authorized to use my normal Pokémon Gym Team against you." Lenora said, as she looked towards Bianca, who was just as confused as Ash was. "You and your friend, though, will be able to at least face my normal team." Lenora told Bianca, who sighed in relief.

"So, what do you mean I'm not allowed to face your normal team?" Ash asked Lenora, clearly confused by what she means.

"An acquaintance of mine up further north in the region wants for your remaining gym badges to be earned through a tougher battle than what most trainers who challenge us go through. Otherwise it'll be just one-sided as you had tried to tell Cilan; your own abilities that I have just witnessed would be too much for my normal team of Pokémon to handle." Lenora began to point out, as she looked at Regulus in particular next.

"And don't think I'm judging you based on how strong your mother turned out to be not so different from you back in the day. I'm also fully aware from Brycen about your secret training; I expect to witness for myself as to what you've trained for so long for." Lenora told Regulus, as Regulus nodded, with Ash and Bianca looking at him in a puzzled manner.

 _((So what is she referring to?))_ Ash asked Regulus, as Regulus looked towards Ash.

 _((Aura Blitz. If you recall the battle we both had before I became one of your Pokémon, I had used the technique to power up in a same fashion as you powered up Pichu. Aura Blitz allowed me to awaken my full potential, just like your unpolished usage of Awakening Mode allows you to power up any other Pokémon.))_ Regulus told Ash, as Ash nodded.

 _((So, mind telling me a bit more on this "Awakening Mode"?))_ Ash asked Regulus, as Regulus was about to say something, before looking towards Bianca for a moment.

"… Mind I ask why Cheren just sort of ditched us earlier and where he went?" Regulus spoke up in human language, as Bianca blinked and looked around for Cheren.

"Y-Ya… He did seem to just wander off without us when N was here earlier… I think he said something along the lines of catching a Fighting Type Pokémon." Bianca answered Regulus, as Regulus nodded, before he had looked back towards Ash.

_((Shall we go find her boyfriend first?))_

Meanwhile, at a forested region just to the west of the Nacrene City…

Cheren was busy walking through a thickly layered forest, as he was searching all over the place for a Pokémon who he could acquire to use for the Gym Battle against Lenora.

"Alright, there's gotta be one around here somewhere…" Cheren spoke, as he briefly moved to grab his Pokédex, before stopping himself for a moment.

"Hold on… Why did I just leave Bianca and Ash behind like that, anyways? That's normally not what I'm like at all…" Cheren began to speak to himself, as he tried to think about something as to why he had ran off in search of a Fighting Type Pokémon. "… Was I just needing some time away from Bianca's presence…? Was she starting to bother my senses with her… her…"

Cheren stopped himself before he could say much else. It was already clear to both himself and Ash that Cheren liked Bianca, but now he was having difficulty concentrating on catching a Fighting Type Pokémon to where he now begins to feel he was unnecessarily selfish with heading out here in the first place.

"… Do I just need some time to myself for a while? Maybe that's what I need… Or… Maybe…" Cheren tried to think, before noticing a sudden draft appearing in the area. He had a look around and noticed something very eerily haunting about the situation…

There was not a single trainer in sight at all.

Cheren, taking notice of this, and also the draft of wind that was breezing through the area, began to notice it was heading in the direction of a darker, secluded part of the forest.

"… Maybe I need to check this out…" Cheren spoke to himself, as he began to walk towards the secluded part of the forest at a slow pace. As he began to walk, he began to hear an odd, serene voice in his head…

' _Walking into the forest practically unarmed, or so it would seem. About to catch the best Fighting Type he can, I suppose; he's desired to do this for his entire trip here.'_

"Who… are you…?" Cheren began to ask in a quiet tone, as the voice he was hearing seemingly responded with a soft chuckle of sorts.

' _Your thoughts are surrounded by beauty, by intrigue, by danger. What more can a man like you want? The Fletchling are singing, the Pidove are cooing. Can't you listen to their song?'_

As Cheren began walking further into the secluded parts of the forest, he began to notice a clearing with a bright, shining light in the center, and a Pokémon's mysterious gaze being seen on the opposite end of the clearing.

' _The Leader has ordered me to seek out the secret general of the Normal Types and challenge him. Therein is the problem. He is you.'_

When Cheren let those words sink in, he noticed the Pokémon from the shadows suddenly jump out into the shining light at the center of the clearly, revealing itself as a tall, quadrupedal Pokémon with an overall green coloration, a wide shaped head, and hooves which were modeled after boots.

' _You are the general of the future of Normal Types.'_

Without a moment's notice, Cheren immediately grabbed his Pokédex to scan what exactly this Pokémon was.

"Virizion, the Grassland Legendary Pokémon. Its head sprouts horns as sharp as blades. Using whirlwind-like movements, it confounds and swiftly cuts opponents." The Pokédex explained to Cheren, as Cheren looked towards Virizion with awe.

"Legendary… Pokémon…?" Cheren asked, as Virizion stood motionless before Cheren, and not a single word was said again after what Cheren had heard earlier.

"So, you're allowing me to challenge you?" Cheren asked Virizion, to which the Grassland Legendary Pokémon responded by a simple nod. Cheren, understanding this, calls out his first Pokémon from his belt to be the first to use against Virizion.

"Alright… I'll try my best. If catching a Pokémon like you will be what I need to not only beat the second gym, but also to impress everyone else, especially Bianca… Then I will gladly challenge you! Watchog, GO!" Cheren called, as he sent out the Normal Type Pokémon from his Poké Ball, as Watchog's stance suggested it was originally the same Patrat from days ago, but now evolved to a new form.

Virizion, noticing Watchog's disadvantage from the start, simply did nothing on its first chance to attack, and gave its move to Watchog.

"Alright, Watchog, let's begin with Super Fang!" Cheren ordered Watchog, as Watchog silently gibbered a little bit as he rushed up towards Virizion and bite onto its chest to inflict a powerful strike against Virizion.

Virizion, not even seeming to flinch from the attack despite the injury, finally responded with one of its own moves. Suddenly rearing up as a bright, sword-like extension at the center of Virizion's head appeared, Virizion moved to slash at Watchog with the intense energy sword.

"Watchog, be careful!" Cheren called towards Watchog, as Watchog was swift to dodge Virizion's sword attack, as Virizion glanced over to where Watchog now stood, all the while Watchog suddenly closed his eyes and the yellow stripes across his bodies began to glow in an odd way towards Virizion, causing Virizion to suddenly begin to get dazed by the intense light.

Returning to an idle stance with its eyes closed, seemed to be suddenly resting in place at the moment.

"Alright, Watchog! Strike again with Hyper Fang!" Cheren ordered Watchog, as Watchog moved again to bite Virizion, but this time, biting onto its leg to ensure that Virizion would have a difficult chance trying to attack again.

As Virizion's suddenly shot open again, Virizion moved again to strike at Watchog again. This time, though, Watchog was too close in proximity to dodge the same, sword-like attack that Virizion used against him, and was immediately sent flying back towards Cheren and was knocked out in an instant.

Cheren, moving to carefully picked up Watchog, returned him to his Poké Ball so he could rest, as Watchog gave a weak smile towards Cheren before he was back into his own Poké Ball. As Cheren looked at Virizion with a bit of fury, Cheren did not immediately send out another Pokémon just yet.

"Alright, let's give this a shot!" Cheren said, grabbing a Great Ball from his bag, "Great Ball, GO!" Cheren called as he threw the Great Ball towards Virizion, which Virizion didn't try and dodge and was caught in the grasp of the Great Ball, being sucked inside as the Great Ball snapped shut and fell to the ground.

One shake, two shakes…

Without warning, Virizion broke out of the Great Ball after a mere two shakes. Before Cheren could retrieve the Great Ball, though, Virizion took the time to crush the Great Ball with its front leg, causing Cheren to grit his teeth a little in rage.

"Think you're just going to escape me just yet? Do you even understand how much I need you on my side?!" Cheren began to yell at Virizion, as like before, Virizion did not respond at all, instead simply gazing upon him.

"Okay… I don't know what you're trying to prove here or not… But… Just listen, alright… I need to become the Pokémon Champion… There's nothing in my life I've desired any further than to become the Champion… Alright?" Cheren began to plead to Virizion, sending out his next Pokémon in the form of Liepard, but yet again, Virizion did not respond. Instead, Virizion gave off an expression towards Cheren that seemed to imply Cheren was not telling it the truth.

"What… What else do I need to say…? Becoming the Champion is important to me…" Cheren began to say, before his mood appeared to dampen a little. "S-Since… Since that's the only way I believe I could get somebody to truly notice me…" Cheren began to speak, as Virizion's mood seemed to calm down upon hearing Cheren's words.

"All of my life, I was just some reject among every girl I had developed a crush on… All but one, but this one in particular… She's frequently been seeing somebody else to the point I wonder if her closeness to me is just her playing with my emotions… I need some kind of sign to know whether or not she truly does feel anything for me… please…" Cheren confessed, sniffling a tiny bit, before throwing a second Great Ball at Virizion, as Virizion was sucked into the Great Ball a second time.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes…

Yet again, Virizion broke out of the Great Ball again, re-emerging again, but this time, did nothing to prevent Cheren from retrieving the Great Ball. As Cheren looked as Virizion used the same, sword-like attacked to knock out Liepard in a single strike just like Watchog before her, Cheren looked down at Purrloin, walking over towards her and carefully petting her before returning her to her Poké Ball as well.

"Alright, I'm going to give this one final chance… what are you wanting me to say?" Cheren asked, as Cheren sent out his Servine this time to deal with Virizion, as Servine looked up at the much taller Grass Type and appeared to be somewhat intimidated by its appearance. This time, Virizion's "voice" seemed to appear again.

' _Dear lad, I only ask one final question. Are your feelings true to this person you hold dear? Then what do you have to say?'_

Cheren snapped a little by this point, hiding his reddened face from Virizion as he began to speak.

"I… I…" Cheren, grabbing the Great Ball he had a moment ago, began to throw it back at Virizion again, watching as the Great Ball ensnared Virizion for a third time.

"Look… I don't know what you're wanting me to truly say… She's the nicest girl I've met, the only one who hasn't rejected me in some form, and she's been one of my closest friends for my entire life…! I can't go anywhere without thinking about her every now and then! That's why…"

One shake…

"I…"

Two shakes…

"… Love…"

Three shakes…

"… Her…"

*click*

With that, Cheren's eyes widened as he looked over towards the Great Ball on the ground, noticing that Virizion was no longer in view. Grabbing the Great Ball and opening it, out emerged none other than Virizion itself.

"Cheren? Where are you?" Bianca's voice began to be heard not far off, as Regulus rushed into view, eyes closed and opening to look at Cheren.

"Hey! Cheren? Where'd you go?" Ash's voice was soon heard, as Regulus looked at Virizion and Cheren and quickly put two and two together.

"Well looks like you've been busy all afternoon." Regulus bluntly pointed out to Cheren, as Ash and Bianca soon arrived on the scene to look at what was going on.

"Cheren, there you- Oh…!" Bianca said, noticing the towering, 6'04" Legendary Pokémon before them, as Ash's eyes widened at the sight of Virizion.

"So, I knew you said you were going after a Fighting Type Pokémon. You've could've just said you were going after the Legendary Virizion, ya know." Ash told Cheren, as Cheren looked at Ash, sighing a bit, as he moves to stand up fully and look at Bianca.

Bianca, noticing Cheren's gaze was a bit different than usual, seemed a tiny bit panicked, but oddly enough, began to walk towards him.

"C-Cheren… Is there something you want to say…?" Bianca asked Cheren, not even minding being watched by the tall Grassland Legendary Pokémon at all, all the while Cheren moved to, very calmly, hug Bianca.

"Well, the truth is, Bianca…" Cheren began to say, looking directly at Bianca's face as Bianca's eyes widened a little in surprise, almost knowing for certain what he would say next. Both of them beginning to close their eyes, Ash's eyes widened as he watched the two of them and progressively became shocked by what he was seeing so soon.

With both of them lip locked together, Bianca feeling relaxed in Cheren's grasp, all the while Cheren's own nerves began to calm down a lot more than what they were beforehand. Breaking the kiss with the two of them slowly opening their eyes again, Cheren finished what he had to say to Bianca.

"I love you, Bianca…"

**To Be Continued…**


	21. Chapter 20: Ash VS Lenora

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visions of things to come as shown by the Dark Stone, and Ash's private gym battle against Lenora.

As night was beginning to set in with the sun having already faded over the horizon, Bianca had went to bed early at the Pokémon Center all the while Ash and Cheren were talking with each other.

"So, you've caught a Legendary Pokémon, and I've got Regulus who's from another region entirely and can Mega Evolve, so does that mean Lenora will force you to challenge the same team in which she'll challenge me with?" Ash asked Cheren, as Cheren looked at his Pokédex to verify Virizion's moves.

"Sacred Sword, Leaf Blade, Retaliate, and Close Combat." Cheren finished checking the moves for Virizion, as he looked over at Regulus and scanned him next, and was immediately surprised by what he had scanned.

"… Wow…" Cheren said in shock with Regulus' moves that he knew, as Ash blinked.

"What does Regulus know?" Ash asked.

"Close Combat, Earthquake, Iron Tail, and Thunder Punch. His moves are by all means prepared for pretty much every gym in the region to say the least." Cheren told Ash, as Regulus silently nodded.

"Well, at least now we know why Lenora wants to challenge me with a stronger team than her usual one." Ash said, as Regulus' dreadlocks shifted upwards as he opened his eyes to look at Cheren.

"Bianca wants a word with you, Cheren. Meanwhile, Lenora's wanting to challenge us already it seems, Ash." Regulus told Cheren and Ash, as Cheren blinked, before moving to head into the shared bedroom they occupied, as Ash began to walk outside of the Pokémon Center with Regulus in tow.

Pichu, moving out from underneath Ash's hat, blinked a little at the night sky as to why Ash was heading out so late. Carefully petting Pichu, Ash sighed a bit to himself.

"Relax, Pichu, I'm just heading to challenge the Gym Leader since she wanted to see me earlier than later." Ash told his small, electric Pokémon, as Pichu nodded and sleepily went back underneath Ash's hat.

Dewott and Tranquill, meanwhile, emerged from their Poké Balls on their own accord, as Dewott and Tranquill were both curious as to why Ash was heading towards the gym at this hour.

With Dewott growling a bit, and Tranquill chirping in confusion as she landed on Ash's arm as she usually did, Ash was about to speak up…

… Until he heard an ominous, heartbeat-like pulse emanate from the gym up ahead.

Ash, noticing this, began to slowly step towards the museum building from which within resides the gym, but something within the museum was drawing his attention towards it.

With a few scientists noticing Ash's hypnotic trance as he entered the building, Dewott and Tranquill both seemed to get Ash to stop moving towards a certain relic within the museum. Regulus, though, didn't even bother; he already knew exactly what Ash's attention was being drawn towards.

Stopping in front of one of the stands, with a medium sized, rounded, black colored stone residing motionless on the display, Ash's eyes began to glow as if his aura was ignited just like any other case. This time, though, his aura was not as violent in waves as it was before; it was much more calm and subdued in nature as Ash moved to carefully lay a hand on the stone.

The moment Ash touched the stone, everything around him suddenly zoned out of view entirely; his Pokémon, even Regulus, and every other person and object in the vicinity was suddenly shrouded in shadow, as the only thing visible to Ash still was himself and the mysterious, black stone.

'…'

Within seconds, Ash began to see an image of somebody else slowly begin to seep into his view, but for the moment, it was clouded by the immense darkness the stone was causing around him.

' _Your friends… Recently having gotten together… They will go on to do great things together… Can you respect that?'_ The voice had asked, as the image before Ash showcased Cheren and Bianca, a tad bit older in appearance, and for some reason, Cheren lacking glasses altogether while Bianca now has glasses of her own.

 _((Yes…))_ Ash answered to the mysterious voice, as the images before him began to shift again to change what Ash was seeing. This time, the images shifted onto the vague, shadowy view of a Pokémon whose entire body was purple, with what appeared to be red, glowing eyes visible.

' _Do you desire to seek out the hunter within the darkness, from which your own Pokémon dread?'_ The voice had asked Ash, as the image cleared up to showcase the mysterious, insectoid Pokémon from when Ash had a glance into Pichu's dreams a few days ago. Armed with a cannon on its back, Ash had wanted to get a Pokédex scan of the Pokémon as he was seeing it, but he found himself unable to move at the moment. Due to this, Ash responded to the voice yet again.

 _((Yes…))_ Ash had answered, as Ash's vision was beginning to blur again as the image before him suddenly changed into the view of a strange, mysterious person in blue clothing with lighter blue highlights on the edges, and seemingly having fiery orange hair.

' _Do you recognize this person from your past? Do you have what it takes to ultimately attempt to find her within the next two years? Do you believe you will be the one to truly provide her with the happiness she desperately seeks in her life? Will you be the one person in her life who she can trust you with her own soul?'_ The voice had asked, as Ash's vision began to clear up to see that the person in question was a young woman who, currently, was about his own age in appearance and having green eyes.

For a brief moment, Ash could feel his right arm slowly begin to move again, seemingly trying to reach out towards this mysterious woman in question, as she seemingly did the same. At first, Ash was thinking everything he was seeing was all an illusion by this mysterious stone…

… Then just as he and the mysterious girl touched each other's hand, the girl actually seemed to react to Ash's touch, her eyes widening and her mouth parting as if letting out a gasp, but no actual sound was heard. Ash's own gaze widened as well. Even if much of the other imagery was more or less an illusion created by the stone, the uncanny movements of this girl seemed far too real in nature for her presence her to be an illusion as well.

With a small, faint smile appearing on the girl's lips, Ash nervously smiled back, as he proceeded to answer the strange voice that was questioning him.

 _((Yes, yes, yes, and yes! Now, will you tell me who you are?))_ Ash had finally answered to the prior questions the stone had, as the image of the girl had begun to disappear with the girl surprised by this moment before she faded away entirely. The next image, though, Ash couldn't make out entirely, but from what Ash was about to see, he saw a large sized, Draconic Pokémon of a deep black color, and having piercing red eyes.

' _ **Do you accept the responsibilities of the role of the Hero of Ideals, so that once I fully regain my true power, you will then command me into battle against my eternal rival in our task to save Unova?'**_ The voice asked, this time in a much deeper, growling tone than it was before, with the tall, Draconic Pokémon before Ash seemingly glancing down at Ash as these words were said.

 _((… Yes…))_ Ash hesitated, but ultimately decided to answer. In response, the image of the Black Dragon Pokémon began to disappear entirely, as Ash's field of vision returned back to what he had been seeing from before he touched the mysterious stone.

Just as Regulus looked at Ash, rather stunned by what he had witnessed, as Dewott and Tranquill were both equally stunned just the same, Lenora slowly began to walk up to Ash with a scientist beside her.

"So, I see you've taken interest in this ordinary stone? Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Hawes and-"

"This stone isn't ordinary… not in the slightest." Ash spoke up, as Regulus looked over at Hawes, back towards Ash, nodding, before his gaze fixed back on Hawes. Dewott, in addition to Tranquill, noticed that now wasn't the best time to stick around and went back into their respective Poké Balls.

"So, you know something about this stone that we don't?" Hawes asked, as Lenora remained silent, as if waiting on Ash's answer in all of this.

"Well, as a matter of fact, yes." Ash said, pulling out his Pokédex to scan the mysterious, black stone with. At first, nothing had popped up, but eventually, a weak signal was detected and the Pokédex began to detail the Pokémon from within the black stone.

"Zekrom, the Deep Black Legendary Pokémon. Assisting those who wish to build an ideal world, it has been in dormancy for centuries. Asleep within the Dark Stone, it rests to reacquire its old power and abilities before the time in which it can be led by the one it chooses to become its trainer." The Pokédex explained, as Lenora's eyes slightly widened a little, but her look was avoiding looking entirely surprised as she could.

"So that boy from earlier today… He had went on about a Legendary Pokémon known as Reshiram, and legends further detail that there is a second Pokémon to which to rival Reshiram's own power... And your Pokédex is basically stating that this second Pokémon is currently resting within this seemingly ordinary stone?" Lenora asked Ash, not necessarily needing an answer just as much as Ash's confirmation on it.

"Yes. I had briefly touched the Dark Stone and I was being questioned by what appeared to be Zekrom itself, asking me various things based on very key subjects within my life." Ash had begun to explain, "It also asked me if I would be the one who would lead it into battle against its own rival by the time its power is fully reacquired." Ash finished, as Lenora nodded, before taking the time to think.

"Then, it appears the Dark Stone is better off in your own hands from this point forward." Lenora told Ash, as she looked over at Regulus, then back towards the Dark Stone. "If Zekrom does indeed lay within this once thought ordinary stone, then it's for the best that you keep it on hand so that nobody tries to steal it from us." Lenora said, before walking up to the glass box containing the Dark Stone and unlocking the container.

Within seconds after the lock was undone and the box having been opened, the Dark Stone let off a heartbeat-like sound that could be heard by all of them, before floating up slightly into the air, and placing itself within Ash's careful grasp. As the energy surrounding the Dark Stone had went back into a dormant state, Ash's own aura began to calm down in intensity as Ash's eyes turned back to normal as a result.

"It's best we keep the stone hidden in your bag for the time being. You can easily hide it in there and nobody would notice. Even Team Galactic wouldn't have been that smart to try and search there, and believe me, Team Plasma look like idiots in comparison to those freaks." Regulus spoke up, as Ash and Lenora looked at Regulus with slight confusion.

"… Team Galactic?" Ash asked, as Regulus grumbled a bit before sighing.

"… Nothing. Forget I had mentioned them. They're not important anyways." Regulus told Ash, as Ash looked back over towards Lenora.

"So about that gym battle… Why did you ask to challenge me towards the very end of the day?" Ash asked Lenora, as Lenora sighed.

"I've heard from some of my co-workers that a group called Team Plasma was causing trouble as of late across all of Unova, so I was worried that your abilities with Aura would draw too much unnecessary attention." Lenora told Ash, as she began to walk upstairs into a balcony just behind the museum which served as a battlefield.

Ash, Hawes, and Regulus, following Lenora out towards the battlefield, noticed how Lenora equipped herself with a bracer around her left wrist, as Hawes stood on the sidelines to watch. Ash, stepping onto one side of the field, with Lenora taking her position at the other end.

"So, since you've already got one badge, you're familiar with the rules by now, yes?" Lenora asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Only a total of three Pokémon used for the battle, for both the gym leader and the challenger." Ash stated, as Lenora nodded.

"Smart kid. Now then…" Lenora said, as she drew out her first Pokémon's Poké Ball. "Shall we begin?"

Ash, looking over at Regulus, nodded towards him as Regulus stepped onto the field on Ash's side, ready for action.

"Alright, let's begin with your first test; how quickly you can deal with a Normal Type like this one. Cinccino, go!" Lenora called, sending out a small, gray colored mammal with silky white fur covering its tail and its head, who quickly chirped with excitement upon seeing Regulus as its opponent.

"Pokémon, GO!" Both Ash and Lenora called, as Regulus rushed forward as Cinccino was near instant to charge several projectiles around itself as to block Regulus from reaching it, and immediately put Regulus on the evasive when said projectiles began to fire towards him.

Quickly noticing the damaging impact of each individual projectile, Ash's aura began to trigger the moment he realized Regulus was dodging them for a reason.

"Get in as close as you can, Regulus!" Ash called towards Regulus, as Regulus was navigating the balcony, evading attacks from Cinccino as the Scarf Pokémon began charging up more projectiles to launch towards Regulus.

"Good to see your training has paid off thus far. Normally you would've just rushed in head first." Lenora told Regulus, as Regulus finally got a chance to get in close towards Cinccino. Deliberately letting some of the projectiles hit him, with flames appearing from where he was hit.

Emerging from the flames, Regulus suddenly pushed his leg outward to kick Cinccino into the air, jumping up with an aura charged leap, and immediately slamming Cinccino down into the ground with an immense force, the ground around the impact zone forming cracks upon impact.

"Well done, Regulus. Now, then, for the second test." Lenora said, returning Cinccino to its Poké Ball, as she drew out her second Poké Ball. "Now, Bouffalant, let's see if Regulus can handle the intensity!" She called, as emerging from her Poké Ball was a large sized, hairy Bison of sorts known as Bouffalant.

Bouffalant, not wasting a single moment with having to hear any of Lenora's orders, immediately charged towards Regulus with an intense force surrounding its entire body, as Regulus was swift to charge Bouffalant as well. Both Pokémon having their attacks collide with each other, Bouffalant was sent flying backwards as Regulus was pushed back as well.

"Watch out!" Hawes cried out towards Lenora, but with a single hand, Lenora stopped Bouffalant from colliding with her, all the while Regulus used his own aura to summon the energy staff he had used before and forcefully anchors himself into the ground as to slow his knockback.

As he looked back at Ash, he noticed Ash's aura was equally igniting.

 _((Alright, I'm going to let you in on a little secret; close your eyes and open your ears, this next part will be important.))_ Regulus told Ash, and Ash was confused at first, but did what he was told nevertheless.

As he closed his eyes, he began to see everyone's aura in the nearby vicinity, even if making out certain things was difficult.

Lenora, calling Bouffalant back to its Poké Ball, finally decided to bring out her last Pokémon.

"Alright, test three; honor before reason. Audino, I choose you!" Lenora called, as emerging from her Poké Ball was the much larger, Mega Stone equipped Audino from earlier that day.

As Ash carefully glanced at Lenora a little bit before closing his eyes again, he could more clearly see the aura projecting from both Regulus and Audino. Audino had a different look from Regulus due to appearing to lack Aura, but for the brief moment Bouffalant was still out, he had noticed Bouffalant had a different colored aura than Audino's.

"Alright, I do believe now is when Mega Evolution is going to play effect in our battle, yes?" Ash asked Lenora, as Lenora nodded.

"Yes sir." Lenora said, before tapping the Key Stone on her bracer to trigger an intense glow around herself and Audino. Ash, doing the same, triggered the same results from his Key Stone necklace and Regulus.

With Regulus being encircled with energy and emerging covered in golden fur and a more lethal look, Audino emerged from the same sphere of energy and appeared a much brighter shade of pink to the point she looked white, gaining a small gown-like extension to her lower body, and having sparkling eyes.

"Alright, let's wrap this up!" Ash and Lenora both spoke, as Regulus closed his own eyes just as Mega Audino began to shine with an intense light, as various beams of energy began to strike at Regulus, which at this point only seemed to increase the effects of his own personal aura.

Beginning to repeatedly punch Mega Audino where she stood her ground as Mega Audino was taking these attacks much more noticeably than the other Pokémon Lenora was using beforehand.

"Alright, Regulus! Let's end this with Iron Tail!" Ash called, as Regulus' mane of fur towards his back began to glow in an intense field of metallic energy, as Regulus grabbed hold of Mega Audino and jumped up an incredible height into the air.

Suddenly slamming Mega Audino into the ground, Regulus collided into Mega Audino with an aura forged sword in the shape of his original tail, as Mega Audino was dazed… but did not immediately revert back into her normal form.

"Now then, let's see how Regulus can handle a situation like this!" Lenora spoke up, as she suddenly began to glow with a bright energy as she shouted in Mega Audino's direction, as Mega Audino suddenly began to glow an intense, crystal colored energy, as Mega Audino forced Regulus backwards from the shockwave from the effect taking hold.

Standing back up where she had stood, Mega Audino before holding her hands out forward as she unleashed a powerful, charged up blast of fire in Regulus' direction, as Regulus took the hit and seemingly vanished in the smoke caused by the blast… until Regulus suddenly stepped forward, out of the flames, and suddenly began charging a wave of energy in his hands.

" **Damn clever with the Heartsoul boost, but can Audino withstand any more punishment than THIS?!"** Regulus shouted, before unleashing a massive, concentrated beam of energy in Mega Audino's direction, as Mega Audino attempted to block the attack entirely, but it was clear the intensity of Regulus' beam attack was causing her to weaken in strength.

As Regulus already appeared to begin reverting back to his original form, the beam of energy ceased as his power as a Mega Lucario ran dry, and Mega Audino was seen heavily damaged from the projectile, but was still standing up as if she had managed to withstand more of the attack than she would have appeared otherwise.

"So, Regulus doesn't have the energy to Mega Evolve again, what do you proceed to do next?" Lenora asked Ash, as it was clear by this point that Mega Audino still had at least some strength remaining.

Ash, trying to think about this one, decided to simply answer with the following.

"Simple; honor before reason. Your own Audino is still Mega Evolved against an opponent who is no longer able to sustain Mega Evolution for the remainder of the battle. Even if Regulus was still Mega Evolved, and Audino was the one to revert back to normal, I would've just ended the battle there since it was clear that Regulus had too much of an advantage." Ash told Lenora, as Lenora was silent for a while…

… Before smiling and ceasing Audino's Mega Evolved state, causing Audino to revert to her normal looks as Lenora called her back to her Poké Ball. Ash, confused, walked up to Regulus to help him stand up as he looked ready to collapse.

"Pretty impressive, Lenora… Seems like we've both changed over the years." Regulus complimented Lenora, as Lenora smiled.

"Well, since Ash is correct about what he had said, it is clear that due to the circumstances in question, he is the winner of this gym battle." Lenora told them both, as she carefully grabbed something from her pockets and gave it Ash.

"Ash, I hereby present you with the Basic Badge. With this badge, you'll be able to see more clearly as the power I had used for Audino during the fight. Knowledge in Aura alone would render your own usage of it obsolete, but that doesn't mean anybody else would benefit from the skill in question." Lenora spoke, as Ash carefully took the badge and placed it in his Badge Case.

"Alright, Regulus, looks like this is our first gym badge win with each other!" Ash told Regulus, as Regulus sighed.

 _((Well if anything, just prepare to see more of that Heartsoul technique later down the road. I don't know what Zekrom was showing you in those visions earlier, but I will assure you something…))_ Regulus told Ash, as Ash blinked in confusion.

_((Zekrom had informed you of another who has access to not just the Heartsoul Awakening Technique, but from what I was able to sense…))_

_((… The most powerful user of said technique was who Zekrom had showed you, and I have a very good feeling that she is now aware of your own existence…))_

**To Be Continued…**


	22. Chapter 21: Thieves, Skull, and Eyesores

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Plasma raids the museum after Bianca's gym battle with Lenora, and Ash and Regulus believe Team Plasma is more interested in both of them than what they otherwise claim...

Why was he doing this, he had wondered.

Regulus had went out fairly early in the morning in search for any traces of Team Plasma, be it lowly grunts, or even Aldith. Regulus needed some kind of answer to something.

 _((Alright, I just need to find some kind of clue as to where Munna had disappeared to, and then I can just hurry on back…))_ Regulus spoke to himself, quietly coming across a group of Team Plasma grunts blocking the path towards a large bridge in the forest.

"So you've finally come out of the shadows? Took you long enough…" A voice began to speak, before Regulus only slightly turned to face this new "threat", only to see a Zoroark approaching him.

"Oh, relax. My business isn't with you. I'm more interested in fighting the Dewott later on than I am you." Zoroark began to speak, as Regulus sighed, before glancing at the Team Plasma grunts who were just standing in place, blocking off a path.

"Tell me, Zoroark, how much do you know about Aldith's methods of stealing Pokémon?" Regulus spoke in a bit of a dry, almost dehydrated tone, prompting a cough from Regulus. Zoroark, noticing Regulus' cough, thought to himself for a moment before responding.

"Oh, you're looking for the Munna she had one of the Shadow Triad steal from Bianca, aren't you?" Zoroark asked, as Regulus nodded.

"Well, tell ya what, you're going to have to be careful; Ghetsis has Munna with him up ahead at Castelia City. If you plan to get Munna back, I wouldn't worry; he's not leaving until he confronts Ash anyways." Zoroark told Regulus, as Regulus groaned a bit.

"So in other words he's forcing Ash into a confrontation with him because he knows Castelia City is also where the next gym is, yes?" Regulus asked, as Zoroark nodded.

"Indeed. He wants to see who exactly Ash is, but I wouldn't worry; monstrous as the man is, he would gain nothing from trying to kill Ash this soon while knowing little of what role he plays. In fact, Ash's survival could very well benefit the man's plans at this rate." Zoroark said, as he had begun to leave, taking on a human form to do so.

"Oh, and by the way; keep guard of Nacrene Gym during the next matches; Team Plasma is going to target the gym in search of something from an old Dragon Pokémon." Zoroark said, before leaving into the shadows as Regulus sighed.

 _((… So Ghetsis is trying to wait this out so he knows who all the players are…))_ Regulus spoke to himself, before looking back towards the horizon, noticing the sun slightly beginning to rise. _((Alright then, Ghetsis… Let's see what exactly you're expecting.))_

_**A while later, back at Nacrene City…** _

Ash and Cheren, having already fought Lenora already, were watching silently as Bianca was preparing to face Lenora.

"Alright, this shouldn't be a problem for her." Cheren said, as Ash nodded.

"Well we do all have Fighting Types." Ash said to Cheren, watching as Bianca sent out her Pignite, as Lenora sent out a Herdier. Cheren, noticing something, looked over towards Ash.

"By the way, where's Regulus at?" Cheren asked, as Ash shrugged.

"He said Bianca wanted him to try and search for Munna ever since Munna had disappeared." Ash said, as both he and Cheren suddenly cringed as they had practically felt Herdier's impact against the wall, the Loyal Dog Pokémon having been hit incredibly hard with a strong punch when Ash and Cheren were not paying attention.

"Think Regulus will have a chance to find out where Munna is?" Cheren asked, as he had watched Lenora's Herdier charge back into the arena within the museum.

"Depends." Ash said, as another, powerful punch was delivered to Herdier, this time slamming it into the ground from Pignite's attack. Pignite, simply snorting flames into the air, allowed Bianca a sigh of relief.

"One down, two to go." Lenora told Bianca, as Bianca nodded.

"Alright, I'll continue to do my best!" Bianca said. When a bright light from the sun had entered into view, Bianca moved to have her hat cover her eyes from the sunlight, prompting the attention of Cheren.

"… Hey, Bianca, is something wrong?" Cheren asked her, as Bianca looked over at him and shook her head.

"… Nothing you need to worry about, I'm fine. I can do this." Bianca told Cheren, as Lenora blinked.

"You sure, Bianca? It seems like your eyes are bothering you." Lenora asked, as Bianca sighed and shook her head.

"Trust me, I'm fine." Bianca told her, as she looked over at Pignite, who had looked back at her. Nodding, they prepared for Lenora's next Pokémon; a Minccino.

"Alright, let's try and step this up a little-" Before Lenora could finish her sentence, Minccino was already decked across the floor of the balcony by a single, solid punch from Pignite. Prompting the attention of Hawes, he decided to ask Bianca something.

"Hey, mind I ask what move Pignite is using?" Hawes interrupted, as Lenora called back her Minccino, and sent out her third and last Pokémon, a Watchog, to face Bianca's Pignite.

"Well to be honest, it's called Power-Up Punch, but personally, I prefer the name…" Bianca said, as she looked over at Pignite with a twinkle in her eye, as Pignite blasted a plume of flames around itself just as Watchog was moving to attack. Watchog, noticing Pignite having disappeared, looked up into the sky to see Pignite heading directly towards itself… and also appearing to change in shape as well.

"Warlock Punch!" Bianca, called, as "Pignite" suddenly slammed his fist onto Watchog without hesitation, as his body began to increase in size and alter in shape. With his body becoming much more rounded, with increasingly developed, massive arms, and gaining a beard of fire in addition to two tusks in its mouth, the transformed Pignite landed on the ground beside Bianca with a loud thud.

Cheren, taking notice of this evolution of Pignite, didn't even hesitate to grab his Pokédex to scan it.

"Emboar, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon and the Final Form of Tepig. It has mastered fast and powerful fighting moves. It grows a beard of fire." The Pokédex finished scanning, as Cheren was a bit surprised.

"So, Bianca, was there something that happened earlier today as to why your starter Pokémon has evolved to final form long before both Ash's and mine?" Cheren asked Bianca, walking up to her as Lenora returned Watchog to his Poké Ball and looked at Bianca with an approving look.

"Well, you see…"

_About two hours earlier, Bianca was avoiding wanting to cry at the moment. She couldn't look weak at a time like this, especially since she'd be challenging Lenora in a few hours, and the fact Regulus was on the opposite end of the battlefield within the Pokémon Center._

" _Do not let losing Munna get to you, Bianca. You have to be strong if you desire to get her back!" Regulus told Bianca, as Bianca looked at Regulus and blinked._

"… _Is something wrong with my eyes…?" Bianca had asked, as Regulus blinked a bit, uncertain of how to answer this._

" _Um, Bianca, I think it's more of a chance to worry more about Munna than to worry about a problem such as that." Regulus told Bianca, as Bianca sighed._

" _It's not that I'm not worried about Munna… In fact, I'm worried about her a lot; I sleep beside her, I shower beside her, and overall she makes me comfortable with my surroundings…" Bianca began to say, "… And now my eyesight starting to bug me makes me wonder if by the time we find her and rescue her, that if I'll even be able to properly see her at all… Do you understand?" Bianca said to Regulus, as Regulus nodded, before glancing towards Pignite in front of Regulus._

"… _Harder." Regulus silently spoke, as Pignite moved to rush towards Regulus, moving to punch Regulus, only to have said punch blocked with Regulus' arm._

" _Harder!" Regulus commanded, as Pignite tried again to punch Regulus, as this time Regulus was pushed back slightly from the punch's impact._

" _Harder! Don't let him block it all!" Bianca began to call towards Pignite, as Pignite again moved to punch Regulus, before this time, suddenly igniting the area around himself with a plume of flames from his mouth and seemingly vanishing._

" _Hmm?" Regulus asked, as Pignite suddenly reappeared behind Regulus and punched him from behind, sending Regulus onto his knees with the combination of blunt force and a fiery touch from Pignite's powered up punch attack._

_Regulus, quick to stand up again, chuckled a bit as he looked at Pignite, as Bianca looked towards Pignite and smiled a bit as she had begun to cheer up._

"… _Again, from the beginning. I like this progress!" Regulus demanded, as Pignite, snorting a plume of flames with glee, continued to punch at the stronger Pokémon to achieve a higher power with his fighting capabilities._

_Bianca, meanwhile, cheered on Pignite as she saw him repeatedly hit Regulus at stronger intervals, all the while she silently thought to herself as to how to go about the upcoming gym battle in a few hours' time…_

"… And that was how Regulus helped me prepare for the gym battle today." Bianca told Cheren, as she put the badge she was handed by Lenora into her badge case.

"Sounds like Regulus put you through some intense training to accomplish what I had just seen." Lenora said, looking down at the large sized Emboar before her. Emboar may not have looked like it much given how he was still shorter than Bianca, but his size was still impressive considering how most of it went into his weight more so than height.

"Either way, I would probably look into the eyesight bit you had mentioned. It sounds like it could be serious." Lenora told Bianca, as Bianca nodded. As Cheren moved to leave, with Bianca grasping at his hand to hold it, Bianca smiled all the while Cheren blushed.

"So, should we get going?" Ash asked, as without a moment's notice, a scream was heard in the main room; it was Hawes. Rushing out to investigate, Ash, Cheren, Bianca, and Lenora caught up to see Hawes and Regulus confronting a bunch of Team Plasma grunts who had forced their way into the museum.

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH THAT SKELETON?! PUT THOSE ALL BACK!" Hawes yelled towards the grunts, but while some of them had carefully dropped what they were carrying, one of them managed to run off an intense speed with a Dragon Pokémon's fossilized skull, to where Regulus had tried to keep up with the grunt in question…

… But didn't take into account the other grunts with Pokémon carrying Thunder Wave and crippling Regulus for a moment, allowing the other grunts to escape as Regulus was forcing himself to try and follow.

"Hey, hold on Regulus!" Ash said, as he walked up towards Regulus, carefully applying a spray medication to Regulus which cured him of his paralysis, as Regulus looked ahead towards the forests in which the grunts had escaped.

"What did they get away with?" Lenora asked, as Hawes panicked for a moment.

"They stole a skull to the prized Dragon Pokémon fossil! They had waltzed in claiming they needed it to revive an old Dragon Pokémon of sorts! They said the name was… Reshiram?" Hawes asked, as Regulus looked over towards what was still left behind of the Dragon Pokémon's fossilized remains in question and grabbed Ash's Pokédex to scan it.

"Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon and the Final Form of Tyrunt. Thanks to its gargantuan jaws, which could shred thick metal plates as if they were paper, it was invincible in the ancient world it once inhabited."

"… Ugh…" Regulus mumbled; face palming at the stupidity of the Team Plasma grunts. "Looks like they chose the wrong Pokémon in this case." Regulus said, handing Ash his Pokédex back,

"So, we have to go after them!" Bianca said, as Ash and Cheren looked at each other and nodded.

"Yeah, we'll get the skull back. I'll stay here and keep guard with Virizion, and you two go after Team Plasma." Cheren offered, as Ash and Bianca nodded, before both of them proceeded to head out.

… Before a seemingly random passerby had caused them both to crash.

"Mmm?" The stranger muttered, having managed to remain standing as Ash and Bianca stood back up to look at the stranger.

"Um, sorry, but I need to go after some Team Plasma grunts that stole from the museum. Pardon me." Ash said, before running off with Regulus to go and search for them, with the stranger not even phased by this at all, until he realized what Ash had said.

"AGH! So that's what they were doing blocking the way to Skyarrow Bridge!" The man had suddenly yelled, before running in Ash's direction at an intense speed to follow.

Bianca, looking over towards Ash and the stranger, then back at Lenora and Cheren, felt dazed from the impact still.

"Hey, Lenora, who was that?" Bianca had asked, as Lenora blinked.

"That would be Burgh; he's the Gym Leader of Castelia City." Lenora told Bianca, as Bianca nodded, before moving to leave. However, as she had to cover her eyes again from the sunlight, she groaned a bit as she tried to push herself to continue forward, even with her eyes watering.

"… I hate to say this, but I'll need to get my eyes checked… I'll stay and guard the Museum with you two until then." Bianca said, as she moved to head back inside, rushing past a worried Cheren.

' _I didn't think her eye problems would be that bad so soon…'_

_**At the forest…** _

"So, you know of my father, huh?" Ash asked Burgh as they were rushing through the forest, as Burgh sighed.

"… What about him?" Burgh asked Ash, as Regulus, in his Mega Evolved state, was rushing ahead of the two, all the while a quad drilled Pokémon in the shape of a Wasp followed after Regulus with just as much speed.

"Well Regulus does seem to react negatively towards your own Beedrill... Does he know him?" Ash asked, as thus far, not a sign of Team Plasma was around in the forest. Burgh, noticing a split in paths up ahead, signaled for his Beedrill to follow the main road.

"Hmm, not certain about my Beedrill and Regulus' history, but I'll go ahead and block the main road from Team Plasma now that they've scattered into the forest. See if you can snuff out any of them." Burgh told Ash, as Ash nodded.

Ash, rushing into the deeper sections of the forest, finally caught up with Regulus and noticed how Regulus had stopped dead in his tracks from a clearing in the forest.

 _((… Regulus? What's going on?))_ Ash had asked.

 ** _((Shhhh…))_ ** Regulus told Ash, as Ash's senses began to perk up awake at something in the distance…

… Or, rather, someone…

"…?" The figure of someone had spotted Ash and Regulus, whose attention it had gotten easily. With Regulus and Ash following after the mysterious, blue colored aura, Ash was having difficulty with following in the same way that Regulus was.

"Hey! Wait up!" Ash yelled out, rushing ahead and walking into another clearing, not finding a trace of the mysterious presence…

… But thankfully finding the Team Plasma grunt responsible for stealing the Tyrantrum skull.

"Hey! You!" Ash called out towards the grunt, as the grunt looked back at Ash and panicked, looking around for a moment.

"L-Look, I know what it looks like, but if Ghetsis learns of my failure, he'll-"

"He'll what? Dismiss you as usual? There is nothing to fear." Another voice spoke up, as from the shadows, after being pursued by Regulus, appeared to be an older man, wrapped in a cloak.

"Besides, there is no failure in this "mission" you grunts had went under; the skull you're holding is not even related to the Pokémon that Team Plasma is searching for." He continued, as the Team Plasma grunt looked confused.

"… But, Gorm of the Seven Sages… We had gone through the trouble of getting even this… Why send us out for this if this isn't what we're looking for?" The grunt had asked, as Gorm, apparently of a group called the "Seven Sages", walked up towards the grunt, took the skull from him, and walked over to Ash to return it.

"Here you go, young one. I don't believe we'll be needing this…" Gorm said, handing the Tyrantrum skull over to Ash, all the while the Team Plasma grunt looked dumbfounded.

As Gorm moved to leave, with the grunt silently following, Regulus looked over at Ash with a concerned look.

 ** _((… That seemed a little too easy.))_ ** Regulus told Ash, as Ash looked at him and nodded in agreement, having a serious look on his face as well.

 _((Yeah… He seemed up to something… I just couldn't tell what…))_ Ash told Regulus.

_**Meanwhile…** _

Ghetsis, waiting in Castelia City, noticed how quickly Gorm and a group of Team Plasma grunts had returned to him.

"So, how did scouting the boy go?" Ghetsis had asked, as Gorm began to speak.

"He has a Lucario as Aldith had informed us, but whether he's anyone more than a simple Trainer we've yet to see… however, I can safely say that it is advised we keep him after us…" Gorm said, pausing before continuing. "… For he possesses the Dark Stone, the fabled relic in which Reshiram's eternal rival has been sealed within…"

Ghetsis, somewhat impressed by the news, looks around the surroundings at hand.

"… Relocate the other grunts back over to Castelia City, I'll need them here to further my examination over this child."

**To Be Continued...**


	23. Chapter 22: A Coat of Aura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheren has something to reveal to Ash for the upcoming holiday, while Regulus is asked by Ash to properly begin the latter's training.

As Ash returned to Nacrene City with the Tyrantrum Skull in hand, Burgh was oddly nowhere to be seen by the time they returned.

"Let's face it; he probably headed back to Castelia City once he realized that's probably where all of the other grunts went." Regulus told Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Still, though, kind of odd as to why a majority of them would flee one way and leave us to deal with a lone grunt that has the fossil…" Ash said to Regulus, as Regulus was still in a grumpy sounding mood.

"… By the way what was with you and Burgh's Beedrill?" Ash asked Regulus, as Regulus stopped and sighed.

"I had assumed his Beedrill used to belong to your father once, but I had guessed wrong; he KNOWS about that particular Beedrill, but he had some pretty nasty things to say about him." Regulus began to say, "As in, that Sirius' Beedrill was not the kindest of fathers around." Regulus told Ash, as Ash sighed a bit.

"Here I was figuring at least all of my dad's Pokémon were nice." Ash spoke up, as Regulus sighed.

"Can we at least hurry back and return the fossil? I need a drink." Regulus asked, as Ash nodded, before looking back towards Regulus to ask him something.

"Wait… have you been trying to hide the fact you're dehydrated?" Ash asked, as Regulus coughed a bit before responding.

"Well to not look weak for one." Regulus began, "Secondly there's the fact I've my usage of Aura has been leaving me more drained than usual, so I just need something refreshing to drink to sate my dried up abilities…" Regulus began to say, as Ash looked up ahead for a moment.

' _So using Aura a lot causes dehydration it seems… Going to have to keep a mental note of that for tonight.'_ Ash thought, as he looked over at Regulus. "Say, Regulus, mind if I ask you something?" Ash asked, as Regulus glanced over at him without saying anything.

"By any chance could we train with each other tonight?"

Regulus stopped for a moment. He had known he would've began to train Ash anyways, but to see Ash ask only now had surprised him.

"Very well, but I'll need to get a few berries. There's a special blend I need to prepare for then." Regulus told Ash, as he and Ash soon came across Hawes, standing outside of the museum.

"Oh, Ash, was it? You've got the fossil back from Team Plasma?" Hawes asked, as Ash nodded while handing over the Tyrantrum skull to Hawes… only for him to Regulus to both help the physically weaker man with lifting the fossil as it was too heavy for him.

"S-Sorry about that…"

"Its fine, I didn't even know the skull was that heavy anyways." Ash told Hawes. As Ash, Hawes, and Regulus carried in the skull back into the museum where it belonged…

_**Later, at the Pokémon Center…** _

After Ash returned the Tyrantrum skull to Lenora, Ash went back to the Pokémon Center to see how Cheren and Bianca were doing. Due to the fact Bianca was getting her eyes looked at for about half an hour, it turned out that it was primarily going to be Ash and Cheren talking to each other for a while during Bianca's eye exam.

Regulus, meanwhile, was busy with mixing a strange liquid in a bowl with the help of Pansear.

"Do you… think she'll be alright?" Cheren asked Ash, as Ash looked at Cheren and blinked.

"… You haven't really been yourself as of late, ya know." Ash told Cheren, as Cheren looked startled at Ash's statement, before calming himself down and sighing.

"Look, Ash… I don't mean to offend you… I've just been appreciating her company a lot more than I usually do…" Cheren told Ash, as Ash nodded.

"So that's why you admitted your feelings for her as soon as you did?" Ash asked Cheren, causing the latter to blush a bit and shyly look away to hide himself.

"W-Well… yeah… It's just been some form of tension that's been building up within me knowing that I don't have to worry about being lectured by her dad and all."

"Well, he IS going to find out eventually if you two eventually marry each other, right?" Ash replied, as Cheren cringed a bit at the possibility of Don disapproving of Cheren as somebody to marry Bianca, but calmed himself to try and continue the conversation.

"… I, er, don't know if this is appropriate to bring up, but… mind if I ask something personal?" Cheren asked, as Ash nodded.

"Of course."

"Did you ever like Bianca at all? As in, really like her and such?"

Ash paused before he had said anything on the subject. He had to think on how exactly answer this one since was a difficult question for him, especially considering his "moment" with that mysterious girl projected from the Dark Stone. Perhaps the Dark Stone had acknowledged something about Ash that he didn't realize at first.

"Well… I'm not going to lie, but I did have a crush on her at one point… though, in all honesty, I had only really dropped the idea of a relationship with her since her personality just seemed to fit being around you better than she did with me." Ash had begun to explain, as Cheren looked at Ash in an odd sense.

"… But… Why would you decline her at all? I mean, sure, she suits us both, but why did you choose to try and pair her with me?" Cheren asked, as Ash sighed.

"I don't really know… I mean… Er… She did try and kiss me once at Christmas a few years ago… To be honest, I kind of wish she would've chosen you for that stunt." Ash told Cheren, as Cheren blinked, before adjusting his glasses. Noticing his glasses were beginning to get a bit dirty, he took them of to begin to clean them until Ash took them from him to do it instead.

"Ash… Do you truly feel she's the best for me?" Cheren asked, looking out a window to see how well his vision was without his glasses while Ash was cleaning them.

"Well, to be honest… The way you act her sometimes makes me suggest you're not certain about that yourself." Ash told him.

"How so?"

"… Well you did just confess to her only two badges into our eight badge journey." Ash pointed out, getting an unusually flustered reaction from Cheren. "… Is something wrong?"

"… Can you keep a secret? Like, a really important one?" Cheren asked, as he began to stress the point of it, "As in, by the time we arrive in Castelia important?"

"I get it, this is a big deal and needs to be kept secret. So what is it?" Ash asked, as Ash still noticed a certain, serious look on Cheren's face, making him quickly realize something.

_((… Stay out of this Regulus, please?))_

_((… I kind of already know what he's going on about but alright, I'll keep quiet.))_ Regulus shouted on his end of their Aura Speak, as Ash calmed himself down and looked at Cheren.

"So… You were saying?" Ash prompted Cheren, as Cheren finally calmed down.

"So, basically, I'll get to the point; my dad is bisexual…" Cheren began, as Ash looked surprised by that alone.

"… Then who is-"

"And my other dad is Burgh." Cheren added, before finishing with "And as to how I even exist my dads are in a three way relationship with my mom."

Ash was stunned for a good moment. He had already known Cheren did at least have one dad and a mom, but both the fact he apparently has two fathers and also both fathers being married to both each other and Cheren's mom was just confusing for him to take in.

"They're not, like, step-parents or anything?" Ash asked Cheren, who simply shook his head.

"You can call them if you want to verify it but please do not make any of our own gym battles with my dad in Castelia into a big scene."

"Hate to break it to ya Cheren, but unless you have any ideas on how to get Ash to take the chance to slow down so I can properly train him in using Aura Armor then he's going to need to use me yet again for the Gym Battle at least once." Regulus suddenly butted in, as Cheren blinked.

"Let me guess, it's because the other gym leaders from this point out won't allow Ash to face their standard challenger teams because of how strong you two are with your Aura?" Cheren asked.

"Well that and from what I've gathered it seems like they're deliberately trying to push Ash's battle against them to a higher limit now that they know of his own Aura capabilities." Regulus told Cheren, before looking back at Ash.

"So if we've got time after Bianca's eye examination, care to actually begin your training proper?" Regulus asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"I don't see the harm in it… except…" Ash began to say, "… should I use Tranquill or Pansear for the battle?"

"I'd use both just to be safe."

"Alright." Ash said to Regulus, before looking at Cheren, who was nervously glancing at the opening door to the medical room. Ash, carefully placing a hand on Cheren's shoulder, caught Cheren's attention and gave a reassuring nod, before walking off with Regulus and outside of the Pokémon Center.

Cheren, at the moment, calmed his nerves once he saw a nurse walk out with Bianca, with Bianca looking over at Cheren happily.

"So… how did your eyes check out?" Cheren asked.

"Nothing too serious at the moment. Just needed some eye drops." Bianca told Cheren, before the nurse moved to step in on explaining the details, handing a small bottle of eye drops to both Cheren and Bianca.

"These are designed for use once every 36 hours. Carefully apply them to your eyes," The nurse told Bianca, "And your vision won't be as much of a problem until the medication needs to be used again." She finished, as Cheren looked at Bianca, with a small blush on his face.

"So… Uh… Since Ash is going to be training with Regulus, I guess we should, er…" Cheren began to trail off as he was suggesting taking Bianca out on a date, before Bianca stepped in.

"Actually, Cheren, we should begin to find a way to get back to Nuvema Town within the next two days." Bianca told Cheren.

"Um… Is there something that- OH!" Cheren suddenly recalled, "In two days it'll be Thanksgiving! I had completely forgotten all about that!" Cheren said, as Bianca nodded.

"Don't worry, though, we'll have ourselves a date around then anyways." Bianca told Cheren, making Cheren internally cringe a little.

'… _And Don is more than likely going to try and strangle me…'_

_**Meanwhile…** _

It was getting darker out towards night. The group had decided to stay in Nacrene City for tonight, since there were next to no viable camping spots between here and Castelia City. Ash and Regulus, meanwhile, were outside alongside Ash's Pansear also being present.

"So, the formula is actually rather simple, but it is important to keep note of how it's used, or even who uses it." Regulus began speaking, with his dreadlocks raised a tiny bit, which Ash and Pansear were oblivious to.

"So, mixing Pecha and Mago Berries into liquid along with water basically creates an extremely potent type of drink that can easily quench someone's thirst AND give somebody a better focus on Aura?" Ash asked, as Regulus nodded with a bit of a smile.

"That's why I intend for us both to have a drink of it before we begin our training proper." Regulus said, as Regulus calmed the nerves on the back of his neck for a moment. 'Alright somebody is watching, but whom?' Regulus thought.

As the two put out the fire and began to drink the strange mixture, both of them stood up as Regulus moved to his spot of the "battlefield" of the small set of unused railroad tracks present.

Pansear, standing before Ash and turning to face Regulus with a confident gaze, all the while Ash began to attempt to draw out the same force of Aura from his prior two Gym Battles, simply heard Regulus' explanation on what exactly Ash was taping into.

"Aura. Even with the ability to generate flames of it, you are not fully capable of using Aura to its full effects. You must learn how to look deeper into yourself to begin to channel it correctly. Today, though, we will simply be utilizing an external method until you are truly ready."

As Regulus was talking, Ash's aura began to ignite, and a powerful energy was being transferred into Pansear much like how Ash had done so with his other Pokémon prior. As Pansear exhaled a plume of flames towards Regulus, he was quick to evade and strike at Pansear with a powerful punch.

"When I said you were ready back in Striaton City, I did not refer directly to your ability to use Aura. You are good with it, yes; but you lack proper training. When I said you were ready, that indicated you were truly ready to begin actual training on how to utilize Aura."

Ash, beginning to burn with Aura around himself again, his eyes glowing gold as before, looked towards Pansear to see how he was handling Regulus' fighting abilities. As Regulus stayed relatively still, awaiting Pansear's attack, Pansear began to strike again with a charged up blast of flames. Regulus, managing to dodge this attack just barely, moved to attack again.

"Your mind is clouded; by what, I do not currently know. Is it the desire to seek out what had happened to your father? Is it your desire to seek out your place in the world? Or possibly something more?"

With the continued speech from Regulus, Ash's aura began to slowly concentrate around himself. Ash, closing his eyes to attempt to concentrate. He didn't seem to realize it, time was passing more quickly than he would've noticed.

As he looked within himself to seek out some kind of answer as to what his goal was… what was his ultimate goal, anyways?

Cheren has told Ash at times that becoming the Champion of Unova was his goal, and Bianca's goal was more or less to find her own place in the world. Ash, though, due to having a missing father and desires similar to his own childhood friends, didn't quite know for certain what his goal was…

As he tried to look within himself, he felt his own, flaming aura was beginning to merge closer to Ash's body. Beginning to coat around Ash in the form of a solid, blue layer of energy, Ash's mind began to focus on the mysterious girl that the Dark Stone had showed him before.

… Then it suddenly donned upon him; the Hero of Ideals.

In his mind, the moment he had recalled the Dark Stone having brought that up, he saw an image of himself and another trainer, the other trainer looking exactly like N. As he was seeing, his view of N caused several people and deeds associated with Team Plasma appear in his mind, and in addition, the presence of the giant sized, white Dragon Pokémon he could only assume was Reshiram. Noticing Reshiram was standing beside N, Ash looked to his own side to see one key thing; he had Zekrom by his side.

' _ **What is your wish? Your ideal?'**_

Ash suddenly shot his eyes open to look at the fight between Regulus and Pansear, and within seconds flat, Pansear suddenly began to fully radiate with energy from Ash's own Aura. As Regulus moved to attack, clearly looking tired, Pansear suddenly exhaled a powerful, star-like shape of Fire towards Regulus, managing to strike him directly with the Fire Type attack and leave Regulus knocked out on the ground.

As Regulus slowly moved to stand, he looked at Ash and Pansear, and noticed what had changed with the former. Ash was now glowing with aura around him in a coated, refined fashion, rather than simply as a raw flame.

As Ash calmed his body down, his aura dissipated on its own as a small puff of smoke emanated from Ash's hands as a result. Regulus, mentally, smiled at what he was seeing.

_'Sirius would be proud.'_

**To Be Continued…**


	24. Chapter 23: Serpent of Terra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of a flashback to four days prior, focusing on how Cheren evolved his Snivy into Servine.

Bianca was beginning to get rather nervous. Her eyes were watering, though not due to any kind of sadness. In hindsight, her eyes felt dry even when considering the currently watering state. Thinking of what to do while she waited on the cleric that is to speak with her soon, she stops shaking to notice something.

Cheren had moved his hand onto her own, resting beside each other. Cheren looked a bit tired, oddly, but he knew full well when Bianca required some form of comfort from anybody she was close to.

"Relax. Even I had to get an eye exam at one point." Cheren told her, as Bianca sighed, hiding her face underneath her hat to avoid having much light touch her eyes.

"I know… I'd just like something to think of until I know how bad the problem is…" Bianca began to say, before silently adding, "I miss Munna…"

Cheren, having recalled how Munna had went missing not that long ago, sighed as he tried to think of how exactly to comfort Bianca. At the same time, though, he couldn't help but recall a certain argument from a few days prior…

_**Four days ago…** _

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" The unusually yelling, angry voice of Bianca said directly towards Cheren, all the while Cheren was caught off guard by her sudden hostility. Tepig and Snivy were by the sides of both of their respective trainers, all the while Cheren tried to think of the solution.

"Look… I'll… I'll leave you alone for a while if you need me to…" Cheren said, before he heard Bianca's crying beginning to set in. Not only that, but when he turned his head to face her in the eyes, she looked horrified at the moment.

"It's… not that… it's… well…" Bianca said, looking towards the bedroom door in which Ash was fast asleep, knocked out cold despite it being bright as day.

"… Do we need to be alone for a while?" Bianca asked Cheren, as Cheren was uncertain as to what to do. Although, hearing the "we" bit did make him blush.

"Look… I'm going to step outside for a while… just to give Snivy some room and exercise. She does get panicking while staying indoors anyways." Cheren said to Bianca, as Bianca slowly nodded, all the while Bianca turned the other way and began to take Tepig with her.

As Cheren thought about it, Cheren began to think that he's possibly being a little too overprotective of Bianca, though he did at least have a reason why he was acting such a way... and it pained him to recall exactly why…

_Cheren couldn't even recall how old he was walking towards his parent's bedroom, all he could recall was how small he was compared to the door. Breathing a bit heavily with each step he took, he calmly knocked on the door._

" _Daddies…?" Cheren's small, innocent young voice called, all the while he saw a light turn on in the nearby room, as one of his fathers, Burgh, walked up to him, crouching down to look at him._

"… _Mmm… So did you hear anything from us the mom...?" Burgh asked, his voice sounding rather low and somber, as his eyes, though Cheren was too young to tell, looked full of sorrow._

"… _N-No…? Where is widdle sis?" Cheren asked, all the while Burgh slowly glanced in a small hole in his bedroom, looking to see his wife and husband sitting beside each other on the bed, with their shared wife looking horrified and facing away from the door, with Felix carefully rubbing her back to try and calm her down._

" _Bug? Where is she? She was on the way in a… a…"_

" _Week. Though, yes, she… she was on the way…" Burgh told him, having a slight pause as he tried to think of what to say next. It was clear he didn't have a thought on how to tell this to Cheren at all, nor even the heart to say what had happened to someone as young as he was at this point._

_Cheren, staying quiet and uncertain, was quickly drawn into an embrace from Burgh, all the while Burgh was rather silent in his tears. Finally, though, Burgh managed to tell Cheren what had happened._

"… _Mmm… She was on the way, but now… s-she's gone…"_

Waking up from his terrible memories of the past, Cheren looked around at the nearby area, just looking for a trainer to battle against to get his mind off of the past.

Eventually finding a trainer, in the form of the Kid no less, Cheren walked up to him to suggest a challenge.

"Hey, I noticed you were just pacing around in boredom. Want to battle?" Cheren asked the Kid, as the Kid looked over at Cheren and blinked.

"You sure? The only Pokémon I have is quite tough… and not even from this region." The Kid had mentioned, but Cheren nodded regardless.

"I'm pretty certain I'll still battle you. I need to train on becoming the Champion anyways." Cheren said, all the while the Kid sighed.

"Alright, what do you wager?" The Kid had asked, clearly referring to money in this case.

"₱3,000 sounds good to me." Cheren replied.

"How about ₱4,000?"

"₱3,500 or no deal." Cheren said as he began to get slightly agitated by the Kid at this point.

"… Fine." The Kid said, before drawing his only Poké Ball from his belt, the Poké Ball letting out a foil smell as a minor, noxious gas let loose at it had begun to open up a tiny bit.

Cheren, drawing Snivy from her Poké Ball, was prepared to battle whatever the Kid had to battle with.

"Snivy, let's be careful with this one." Cheren whispered, all the while the Kid sent out his own Pokémon, which had caught Cheren by a bit of surprise.

" **SKREEENK!"** The Pokémon before Cheren suddenly roared, all the while Cheren quickly took the chance to scan it with his Pokédex.

"Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon and the Final Form of Ekans. The pattern on its belly is for intimidation. It constricts foes when they are frozen in fear."

However, while Cheren was checking the Pokédex, Arbok had already made its move against Snivy, and very quickly lashed out with a sharp, ooze dripping bite, all the while Snivy was quick to dodge on her own, all the while Arbok continuously hissed as it tried to keep Snivy in range.

Even if it may have been clear that Arbok had an obvious advantage, it was clearly acting incredibly cautious about Snivy for some sort of reason.

"Alright, Snivy! Hidden Power" Cheren called, all the while Snivy charged energy within herself for a moment, before unleashing it in a blast of light brown, sandy energy towards Arbok, managing to strike the Cobra Pokémon for what appeared to be a solid amount of damage, which caused Arbok to retaliate with a fierce, sudden series of bites and lashing out towards Snivy with its own tail.

"Clever…" The Kid muttered, all the while Arbok carefully eyed Snivy before out of nowhere, Arbok's eyes suddenly glowed red as it fixed its own gaze upon Snivy as it moved to try and bite Snivy again… but did not actually attempt to bite at all.

Once its eyes reverted back to normal, Snivy found it incredibly difficult to move, but still managed to try and dodge Arbok's constant lashing and bites, before Arbok suddenly grabbed hold of Snivy in a deathlock, with Snivy's tail being bitten onto by Arbok.

"Snivy!" Cheren called out, all the while Cheren's mind zoned out a bit. Briefly flashing to seeing his crying, sorrowful parents again, but this time to a different memory than before…

" _Big bro…?" A little girl, younger than Cheren, said to the very young, but older Cheren._

" _What is it?" Cheren asked, as Cheren looked over at the younger girl with surprise and shocks, seeing her with a bite wound on her arm, all the while the two of them were far from their house, and Cheren was quick to try and drag his little sister back home to get her treated for her bite._

" _Come on! Hurry!" Cheren said, as he noticed how the girl fell down onto the ground without him knowing of it, but was quick to realize this._

" _Sis!" Cheren said, all the while he moved to try and help her stand, all the while his little sister was losing consciousness at the moment, her eyes beginning to dull and close._

" _Dads! Mom! Anybody!" Cheren yelled out in the neighborhood, all the while he had seen Delia rush up towards Cheren and his little sister, all the while carefully looking over the area._

" _Cheren! Shelbi! Are you two alright?!" Delia asked, all the while Cheren's little sister, named Shelbi began to turn pale, all the while Delia's eyes turned to those of dread. Quickly pulling out her Xtransceiver, Delia could be heard yelling for Burgh, Felix, or their wife to come over quickly as they could._

_All that Cheren could remember afterwards were the echoing words of "Big bro…?" as he began to have terrible memories to the earlier incident with his other sister, and now seeing this incident with his "second" younger sister._

"Cheren snap out of it will ya!" The Kid yelled towards Cheren, all the while Snivy was running to try and escape Arbok's deathlock, as Cheren suddenly looked over at Snivy.

"SNIVY!" He suddenly shouted out of nowhere, all the while Arbok was taken by surprise by the sudden, sharp shout from Cheren and let go of Snivy, all the while Snivy ran off behind Cheren, beginning to glow with an intense energy, before reappearing from behind Cheren as a much larger, more serpent-like Pokémon known simply as Servine.

"… Snivy…?" Cheren asked, all the while he had begun to check his Pokédex, carefully reading it all the while Servine quickly shot out a torrent of leaves towards in a fierce, sudden storm of leaves and grasses, all the while Arbok was too stunned from the sudden barrage to move.

Servine, hissing loudly in aggression, charged up another, inner force of energy, and unleashed it upon Arbok in a larger, still dirt colored sphere of energy which had Arbok recoiling from the sudden pain of the attack, as the damage had somehow been amplified from before.

"So, your Servine has Contrary. Clever." The Kid said to Cheren, all the while Cheren calmed down just enough to give commands to Servine again.

"Alright, Servine! Once more with Leaf Storm and Hidden Power!" Cheren called out, all the while Servine had summoned a barrage of leaves towards Arbok, and all the while this time the attack seemed to cause just as much pain to the Poison Type Pokémon as Hidden Power did…

… Before Servine had again struck Arbok with Hidden Power again with enough force to send Arbok flying into a wall. Having won the battle, Servine hissed in victory, all the while Arbok was knocked out and called back to its Poké Ball by the Kid.

The Kid, walking over towards Cheren and handing him a handful of bills and coins, left the area without saying anything else to Cheren.

"What? You're just going to flat out leave?" Cheren asked the Kid, but got no answer in response. When Cheren looked to check the bills and coins, he counted the amount of Pokémon Dollars he had from the "bet".

He had betted only ₱3,500, and yet the Kid still went ahead and gave him ₱4,000 anyways.

**To be continued...**


	25. Chapter 24: Blaze of Torrent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing with the flashbacks of the previous Chapter, we see Bianca's side of what she did the day she evolved Tepig into Pignite.

As Bianca stepped into a small room within the clinic, she saw a nurse waiting for her within. The lighting was very dim, and whatever brighter lights were in the room were very easy on Bianca's eyes.

"Welcome, Bianca. I've been told by you and your friend that you're having eye problems?" The nurse asked, to which Bianca silently nodded. "So, tell me. How long ago did you begin to experience these problems?" She had asked, as Bianca began to think back to a few days prior. While she had more noticeable problems within the past two days, she recall back around four days ago when these problems first began to appear…

_**Days earlier…** _

Bianca was walking at the outskirts of Striaton City towards a park to try and get some form of peace from her panic and worry over how Ash had been injured by somebody, and how he had been out cold since the day before.

As she was walking, though, she did not seem to notice somebody heading in her direction.

"Ouch!" Bianca said, falling backwards upon impact with the person in question, as she began to look around, her vision unusually blurred, before seeing the hand of a relatively strong, near 8 foot man before her.

"You okay young lady?" A tough, deep sounding voice asked, as Bianca took the man's hand to stand up, with one hand rubbing her eyes to get them to stop blurring, only for her vision to still look a bit worse for wear.

Without hearing anybody speak anything, somebody next to the tall man had handed her a cloth to rub her eyes with, and Bianca carefully reached for it to take and rub against her eyes.

"T-Thank you." Bianca said, "And yes, I'm fine. I just sort of zoned out there I guess." Bianca added, as her vision cleared up, ready to hand the cloth back before she now noticed a shorter girl standing beside the taller male, and that was saying something since the girl was actually shorter than Bianca. Despite that, she physically looked the same age due to her body's development in certain areas.

"Um… Wow. Who are you two?" Bianca asked, looking back up towards the towering, blonde man.

"Lieutenant Surge is what I'm referred to back at Kanto, and beside me is my "niece" named Misty. She doesn't speak much too much… like, at all." Lt. Surge introduced himself, as the shorter girl, having fiery orange hair, green eyes, and blue colored clothing and a scarf bearing the symbols of the three, "Super Ancient" Pokémon on them.

"So, your name's Misty?" Bianca asked the girl, to which she nodded, all the while staying beside Surge. Just as Bianca tried to think of what to say next, a sudden thought had hit her.

' _Wait, isn't this the girl that Ash was trying to mention before?'_ Bianca thought to herself, as she looked back at a confused Misty, who was crouching and looking at Tepig with curious eyes.

"Oh, you want to know what Pokémon he is? He's a Tepig, a Fire Type Pokémon." Bianca told Misty, as Misty blinked, moving to carefully pet Tepig, all the while Tepig looked a tad bit aggressive at first… until rolling over playfully after Misty made a certain gesture with her hand.

Watching Misty quickly befriend Tepig, Surge chuckled a bit to himself.

"Same ole' Misty: always managing to befriend even the most aggressive Pokémon." Surge told Bianca, as he looked at Bianca. "Speaking of which, why don't you see if you can help Misty with befriending one of her own Pokémon? It could benefit both of you for all I know." Surge said to them both, all the while Misty moved to stand, brushing her scarf out of the way as she did.

Grabbing a Premier Ball, Misty called out her own Pokémon that she currently had on hand, stepping back at a bit as from the Poké Ball emerged a rather large, red, serpentine Pokémon with a gaping maul.

"… Oh wow… What kind of Pokémon is that?" Bianca asked Misty, all the while grabbing her own Pokédex to scan it.

"Gyarados, the Atrocious Pokémon and the Final Form of Magikarp. Once it begins to rampage, a Gyarados will burn everything down, even in a harsh storm." Bianca's Pokédex said, as Bianca looked up at the large Pokémon with awe.

"So, wait, I take it this Gyarados is a Shiny Pokémon?" Bianca asked, as Bianca looked at her Pokédex to see a blue colored Gyarados on the screen, even though Misty's Gyarados was red in color.

"Yeah, long story as to how. Basically a bunch of goons from Team Rocket many years ago had tried to force a lake full of Magikarp to evolve, and Misty's uncle Lance captured this particular specimen and eventually allowed Misty to have it for herself." Surge explained to Bianca, all the while Bianca was fascinated still.

"So, how exactly would we go about befriending a Pokémon as big as this?" Bianca asked Misty, who didn't seem to acknowledge Bianca's question and had already walked up directly in front of Gyarados, petting him as to calm the monstrous sea serpent's temper, all the while Gyarados seemed to growl with a hint of hostility.

Bianca, looking at her Tepig hiding behind her, Bianca moved to pick up Tepig and pet him to keep him calm, hushing the smaller Pokémon in a gentle tone, all the while Bianca looked over as Misty began to walk away from Gyarados, her eyes shut and facing away from him, all the while Gyarados simply watched her move away.

"What is she doing?" Bianca whispered towards Surge.

"Just a trust test. If she can walk back to safe distance without looking back at him, and if Gyarados stays put, she knows she can trust him to not attack her." Surge told Bianca, before suddenly thinking of something.

"Also, hate to bring this up so late, but we never did get your name. No need to really tell us, but Misty does feel better knowing who she's "talking" with if you catch my drift." Surge told Bianca, all the while Bianca yelped in embarrassment at not having introduced herself yet when Surge and Misty have already done so.

"Oh, that's easy. My name is Bianca." Bianca finally introduced herself, as Surge nodded, all the while Misty walked up to Bianca and blinked, bowing before her for a brief moment before standing back up straight.

"Wow, you're certainly expressive, Misty." Bianca told Misty, all the while Misty blushed in embarrassment and simply twiddled her boot covered feet against the ground. Misty, before gesturing for Gyarados to face Bianca's Tepig.

"Well, what do you know." Surge chuckled. "It looks like Misty wants to battle you." Surge said to Bianca, as Bianca blinked a bit, her eyes suddenly becoming a touch blurry again, but quickly she rubbed them with the cloth she was given earlier to keep them clear. However, even though the lighting in the area was beginning to decide against her, Bianca stood ready to face Gyarados.

' _I don't know if any of my Pokémon will be able to win against Gyarados due to how powerful he looks… but that doesn't mean I can't solve Tepig's fear of him at the very least.'_ Bianca thought, as she looked at Tepig, quickly picking him up briefly to cuddle him, before setting him down in front of the small "battlefield" and looking towards Gyarados.

"I trust you on this one, Tepig." Bianca told her small, Fire Pig Pokémon, all the while Tepig looked up at Gyarados with nervousness. Watching as Misty gave a gesture to signal to Bianca to make her move first, Bianca nodded and looked forward with a somewhat fierce gaze.

"Alright, Tepig! Let's start off with Smog!" Bianca ordered, before Tepig mustered all the courage he could to jump up into the air high enough to directly face Gyarados, before snorting out a plume of toxic smoke towards Gyarados, all the while Gyarados' inhaling of it was accidental at best due to his mouth nearly always being open.

Gyarados, roaring a bit towards Tepig, suddenly slammed his tail onto the ground to cause the ground below to shake and tremble, all the while Tepig was quick to jump like it did before to avoid severe damage. After a moment, Gyarados began to give off sneezing motions as it didn't look like it took that attack from Smog very well, but Gyarados still stood defiantly.

"Good job, Tepig! Now use Rollout!" Bianca called, as Tepig landed on the ground and began to spin in a ball at, initially, a weak intensity, before crashing into Gyarados once, and then once again with increased intensity and strength, and then doing so in a repeated fashioned. Gyarados, trying to make a move, was constantly interrupted by Tepig's Rollout to do much else, especially considering their difference in size.

However, perhaps Gyarados would soon have a better opening; as Tepig continued to strike the colossal sea serpent with Rollout, he began to glow and change in size and shape to a much larger, bulkier Pokémon. As Bianca recognized this as Tepig evolving, she was quick to grab her Pokédex to scan Tepig's evolving form to see what he would become in a few seconds.

As she did, Misty smirked a little bit, all the while she watched as Tepig, now a Pignite, began to tire out from Rollout, as Gyarados suddenly leaped into the air at an immense height, all the while Bianca clenched her fist in slight agitation. As much as she figured it would've been impossible to win against a fully evolved Pokémon…

… That did not mean she would give up so easily.

"Alright, Pignite, keep calm, and use your head!" Bianca called, all the while Pignite looked up towards Gyarados with a snort of fiery smoke from his nostrils, before jumping up into the air, head first towards Gyarados. Slamming into Gyarados head-on and causing them both to fall to the ground, with the two of them standing back up.

As Gyarados and Pignite aggressively eyed each other, Gyarados was the first to collapse to the ground with a loud thud, before soon after, Pignite had also collapsed as well. The battle, for as brief as it was, seemed to be at a tie, leaving Surge to judge who the victor was.

"Well, how's about that; considering Gyarados was the first to faint out of the two, I hereby declare Bianca and Pignite the victor of this battle!" Surge explained, all the while Bianca cheered for Pignite, all the while she noticed Misty doing something odd; praying in a kneeling stance.

As it seemed she was doing this for a while, a strange glow began to emanate from Misty, and within seconds, Gyarados, as well as Pignite, were fully healed and standing up again.

"… H-How… did you…?" Bianca tried to ask, as Misty looked up at Bianca, with Surge looking towards Bianca to try and explain.

"I believe the ability is called… "Heartsoul"… or something like that? I might've gotten the term wrong, but Misty has displayed a special ability to connect to Pokémon in order to bond with them better or to even heal them of their injuries." Surge told Bianca, as Misty nodded in response, although her expression seemed to indicate that Surge might've gotten the term wrong.

… Regardless, due to the flashing light from Misty earlier, Bianca's eyes were watering again, as she was quick to wipe her eyes clean with the cloth again. Surge, looking at an older looking, phone-like device, signaled towards Misty to call back Gyarados as Surge looked over towards Bianca. Misty, walking up to Bianca, held out her hand for her to shake.

"Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, Bianca, but we've got a ferry to catch for getting us back home to Kanto. I do hope that somehow we can meet again." Surge told Bianca, saluting to her as well, before beginning to leave. Bianca, shaking Misty's hand with happiness.

"Thank you, Misty, for helping Pignite and I stay confident during our battle. I'm sure my friend Ash Ketchum would've loved to meet you!" Bianca said before moving to leave, all the while Misty waved goodbye as well…

… Before looking absolutely stunned once the name of Bianca's friend sunk into her mind, but Bianca had already gotten too far away for her to notice this…

_**Present Day…** _

As Ash, Cheren, and Bianca woke up in the morning, all three of them packing to prepare for their long walk across a Skyarrow Bridge towards Castelia City, noticed as Regulus was beginning to grab the Poké Ball that he was bounded to be returned into.

"Regulus, is there any meaning for this?" Bianca asked the Lucario, as Regulus nodded.

"Simple; if Team Plasma shows up at Castelia City by any chance, I don't think it would be wise for them to see me present right away or else they'll notice us before we do and they'll have another chance to escape." Regulus explained, as Ash nodded.

"Smart move." Ash said, "Besides, I've been wanting to give my other Pokémon a chance to train since I've been giving a little too much focus on Regulus for the second gym battle, that's why I intend to use Dewott, Tranquill, and Pansear against Burgh instead." Ash told his friends, all the while grabbing Regulus' Poké Ball and returning him into it.

"Good idea, all of our Pokémon could use some kind of training if they're not strong enough as it is." Cheren said, before adding in, "Besides, I think it would be odd for my dad to see me with a Legendary Pokémon before the holidays begin tomorrow." Cheren said, as Ash nodded.

"We'll save introductions for tomorrow, then." Ash said, before beginning to walk open the door of the bedroom and begin to walk out…

… Only to see N standing right at the door.

"You three wouldn't mind if I had joined you on your way to Castelia now, would you?"

**To Be Continued…**


	26. Chapter 25: On the road to Castelia City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group arrives at Castelia City, but a small trouble occurs with a group of gangsters regarding Ash and N.

Ash, Cheren, and Bianca didn't exactly know what to say. Ash actually did sort of know, but right now he believed it a little too rude to ask outright what N's possible connection to Team Plasma might be. Cheren and Bianca, though, seemed a bit worried about N's presence here, since he's been present thus far almost everywhere that Team Plasma has showed up to.

However, that did not stop them from letting him simply tag along with the three of them towards Castelia City. Since N seemed to have his own bicycle, it didn't make much of a difference. As they rode their bikes through a road in Pinwheel Forest, they eventually came across the entrance to one of the finest bridges in all of Unova.

Skyarrow Bridge. Having caught a few extra Pokémon on the way here first, the primary trio were ready to leave, with N already being prepared to head towards Castelia City since he didn't catch Pokémon the same way the other three did.

"So mind I ask how exactly we managed to fit bicycles into our respective bags?" Bianca asked, as Ash looked at Bianca in confusion.

"You mean these bikes? I thought we had them imported from Hoenn back in the day." Ash said, as Cheren nodded.

"He's right, these are collapsible bikes when you go to store them." Cheren told Bianca, as Bianca nodded in understanding.

"Alright but how exactly do we store the tent?"

"Same way Regulus and I were somehow able to lift a rather massive, fossilized skull; just try not to think about it too much." Ash told both Cheren and Bianca, as Cheren sighed.

"Lemme guess this has more to do with how your Aura abilities work, doesn't it?" Cheren asked.

"Probably. I do need to stay focused to use them correctly as Regulus has been teaching me." Ash told Cheren.

 _((Personally I'm surprised Bianca isn't asking about Munna. Then again it's been a day since I had tried to scout ahead. Hey, Ash, mind trying to scout ahead by searching for people's auras?))_ Regulus asked from within his Poké Ball, to which Ash nodded and agreed to.

His eyes briefly glowing gold for a few moments, Ash closed his eyes as the color before him drained to black with a minimal, white outline on his surroundings. Looking up ahead towards the approaching Castelia City, he could sense several, red colored auras, and one particular red aura that had a lot of black to it…

… In addition to a, much smaller, blue aura that was right next to this particular aura.

_((So I see what is possibly Munna's aura up ahead, so it looks like Team Plasma is present alright judging by the red.))_

"Might I ask what the red means?" N had finally spoken up, causing Ash to mentally berate himself briefly since he only just now remembered that N was, at least partially, capable of hearing his and Regulus' Aura Speak. He had been so used to hearing Regulus speak normally that he had forgotten all about N's ability to partially understand Aura Speak.

Not exactly the type to try and lie outright, Ash decided to tell N anyways.

"It means that a group of people up ahead are… not exactly the best of people to be around." Ash told N, as N nodded in understanding.

"My father always did tell me that Castelia was filled with those kind of people; that's why I had asked to join you guys in the first place." N told Ash, as Ash briefly glanced towards N before looking back ahead.

"… Well to be fair he's not wrong. There are gangsters at Castelia which we should probably worry about." Cheren told Ash, as Bianca suddenly spoke up.

"Gatehouse up ahead! We're finally here."

After arriving at the entrance to Castelia City, Ash and co. stored their respective bikes away… and already they were in for some trouble from some strangers that were quickly approaching them.

"Well, if it isn't the "King"? Mighty kind of ya to show up at a time like this!" One of them spoke up towards N, completely ignoring Ash and the others as he did.

"Um, excuse me, sir? What are you talking about?" Ash asked the stranger, only to find himself grabbed by the rather tall, female of this odd group of strangers.

"Well, is this the damned Sage himself as well? Where are the funky ass powers?" She had asked in an obnoxious tone, all the while Ash's hat began to move to her surprise, as she suddenly found herself face to face with Ash's Pichu.

"Piii…-" Pichu began to growl, all the while electricity was charging up in his cheeks.

Meanwhile, popping out from their Poké Balls were Dewott and Tranquill, with a third member of this group suddenly laughing the moment he had seen Ash's Pokémon begin to come to his aid.

"Bah! Ya don't scare me! Fight like a real mon if you want at it!" The man called out, letting out a loud belch as he did.

Feeling a fight was about to break out, Ash decided to say what he had assumed was the best for this situation.

"Would you guys PLEASE keep off our backs before we call the authorities on you?!" Ash yelled, still trying to get out of the grip of the woman behind him, all the while N was glaring at the first guy in front of him.

Without warning, though, a loud whistle was heard going off from the exit of the gatehouse, all the while a powerful surge of energy had begun to be felt in the room, and at the door stood a woman with a well-developed, physically fit stature, turquoise hair, and reddish brown eyes. Her uniform, to the shock of the three strangers, was a police officer's uniform colored in mostly blue with shades of black and white present.

"Alright, I've heard enough of a ruckus going on here. You three, out!" The woman gestured towards the three imbeciles that were heckling the group, who had begun to leave as they had all took a quick moment to glare towards Ash and N in particular.

The police officer, clearly stressed at this point, sighed as she looked at Ash and co. and walked up towards them.

"You four teens alright? They didn't cause too much trouble now did they?" She had asked, as N decided to answer this time.

"We're fine. They only seemed to focus on me and my future friend here." N said, gesturing towards Ash. The officer, looking at Ash a bit, blinked in confusion when she had look at him.

"Um… Sir? Might I ask your last name real quick?" She asked, genuinely confused by the type of facial features, hair color, among other features that Ash had. Ash, not wanting to disobey a police officer like her, decided to answer.

"My name is Ash Ketchum. Who might you be…?" Ash answered as he trailed off, as the woman held out her hand.

"Officer Jenny. I've been keeping track record of a missing person's report with someone that had features much like you. Especially with those streaks on your face." Officer Jenny introduced herself, all the while Ash decided to ask something.

"Is this about my father or somebody else that just looks like me?"

"Is your father's first name Sirius?"

"Yes." Ash answered, as Officer Jenny nodded.

"Alright, I'll be sure to keep tabs on this." Officer Jenny said, before moving to leave with the strange energy dissipating from near her. As she turned to leave, a strange, mostly white with black Pokémon stood beside her ominously, before, very slowly, walking to follow Officer Jenny.

By the time the thought occurred to them, the Pokémon had already disappeared into the city along with Officer Jenny before they could scan it with their Pokédexes.

"Well, she seemed rather nice. Her Pokémon kind of unnerved me for a moment." N had spoken up.

"I'm more confused as to why those three thugs only focused on you two instead of me or Cheren." Bianca said, as Cheren nodded.

"Yeah, it does seem weird." Cheren brought up, before looking at both Ash and N.

"Now I'm pretty certain at least both of you have some kind of special background as to why they focused on you two, but I'm also pretty certain that neither of you two are household names just yet. So how did they know about going after just you two?" Cheren asked Ash and N.

"Well, considering my father's impact on everyone before I was born, I'm pretty certain the simple fact that I'm his son would make me easy to recognize." Ash answered.

"Same here." N answered as well, before turning his attention towards Dewott, Tranquill, and Pichu.

"It's been a while since these three have battled, hasn't it?" Cheren asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Well minus Pichu, I plan to use Dewott and Tranquill in my battle against your fa- I mean your acquaintance Burgh! I also plan on using Pansear as well, but Dewott will be my ace for this one." Ash caught himself as he had almost allowed himself to slip up on that one. Bianca and N were nearly about to ask what Ash had almost slipped up on, before being interrupted by a passing researcher.

"Pansear you say? Do you own a Pansage and Panpour as well?" He had asked, as Bianca and Cheren drew out Pansear and Panpour from their Poké Balls to answer the researcher's question, Pansage a little agitated about having yet to battle much as of late, and Panpour simply content with being let out of her Poké Ball after a long while.

"Well, I'll be surprised. Since I've been doing some research on Pokémon Evolution for a colleague back in Sinnoh, would you care to take these three Evolutionary Stones off of my hands? You could use them on these three Pokémon at any time you'd like." The researcher said, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca looked at each other briefly, before nodding and taking one of the stones for each of them.

"So are we going to go explore Castelia? Or do we have other matters at hand?" N had asked, excited to begin their walk around the city with Ash and co., but Ash had to figure something important out first.

Where was Bianca's Munna now that they've finally arrived?

**To Be Continued...**


	27. Chapter 26: V (Volt)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and N accompany each other to visit Liberty Garden for an encounter with the Mythical Pokemon Victini.

As the group consisting of Ash, Cheren, Bianca, and N began to explore the streets of Castelia City, Ash kept an eye out of his surroundings. He had detected two presences of a group of red aura individuals, and a much smaller, blue individual…

… Though he could not tell which one was Munna just yet.

"Hey!"

As Ash put some thought into it, he decided to try and search both spots at once anyways; something was clearly wrong in both spots anyways.

"Hey! Are you listening?" A perky, young sounding voice asked of Ash, as approaching the group as a dark skinned girl with huge locks of purple hair that Ash hadn't met before, and Burgh walking at a much slower pace towards them.

"Mmm, Iris? Could you please calm down?" Burgh asked, as he looked over at Cheren with a quick glance, before looking back towards the girl, apparently named Iris.

"Sorry! I'm just so excited to hear news that an actual Aura Sage is in Unova! And he's Mr. Ketchum's son as well!" Iris squealed in happiness, which made Ash prominently blush when the Iris suddenly grabbed him of both of his hands with her own, looking him in the eyes as well. Her gaze was nevertheless sparkling with the same amount of joy that she was radiating as she was speaking as well.

' _So that's what those three gangsters meant by Sage…'_ Ash thought to himself, before looking towards Iris without trying to freak out. "… Mind if I have some personal space please?" Ash asked rather sheepishly, as Burgh was quick to pry Iris off of Ash at the moment.

"My apologies, Ash. She gets excited over things very easily. Her name is-"

"Iris!" Iris suddenly interrupted, causing Burgh to sigh in an annoyed tone.

"So, with that said, I'm assuming you're here to battle me at-" Burgh began to ask, before noticing a rather narrow eyed N facing him, and N's gaze somewhat appeared to intimidate Burgh.

"Um… You never told me you had a fourth traveling partner, mmm…?"

"I'm not with them for too long, just until I can make my way to Nimbasa City safely." N told Burgh. "Nor am I interested in challenging your gym; I already have all eight badges anyways needed for entry into the Pokémon League." N added in, causing Burgh to raise an eye.

"… And yet I don't recall facing you because…?"

"You mean you don't remember my Zoroark?" N had asked, causing Ash, Cheren, and Bianca to face him with confusion. They had known about Zoroark for a while, but this was the most recent time they heard mention of him for a while now, especially considering this was N saying it.

"Mmm, yes! Now I remember! So you're the League Entrant who couldn't attend last time due to illness, yes?" Burgh recalled, as N nodded.

"Yes, that'll be me." N said, as Burgh nodded.

"Mmm, very well. Could I perhaps have you and Ash accompany me to Liberty Garden for a short while? There's a bit of an emergency at hand." Burgh asked of the two of them. Ash, looking at N, nodded, as did N in return. "Very well, then. Iris, dear, could you give Cheren and Bianca a tour of Castelia City while we're gone?"

"On it, Burgh!" Iris said, before grabbing Bianca's wrist out of nowhere, "Let's go!" Iris said before proceeding to drag Bianca off.

"Wha… Waaait!" Bianca yelled out in sheer confusion from how fast paced Iris was. Cheren, sighing in relief, looked over at Burgh.

"Mmm, I assume you haven't told your friends about the party Felix's hosting back at Nuvema Town tomorrow, have you?" Burgh asked Cheren, as Cheren sighed.

"Well, actually, I've only just yesterday told Ash that you, Felix, and mom are in a three-way relationship period. Especially since I… er…" Cheren began to say before trailing off a bit.

"… Didn't know how to tell Bianca considering she's now your girlfriend?" Burgh asked, as Cheren nodded rather sheepishly. "I understand. Me and Felix had difficulty telling the other parents about our relationship with mom anyways."

"Hey! Glasses guy! I'm waiting on you!" Iris shouted in the distance, as Cheren took that as his cue to leave towards Bianca and Iris.

"… So did I miss anything? Or were you two just talking things out like father and son before me and Ash leave with you to Liberty Garden?" N asked Burgh, as Burgh nodded.

"My apologies. I just sort of expected he and his friends would arrive here sooner. But anyways, follow me towards the Liberty Pier. It'll be a quick Ferry ride, so keep hold of something on the boat there." Burgh said, as Ash and N looked confused, before nodding to each other and following Burgh to the pier in question.

Pichu, meanwhile, peeked out from underneath Ash's hat again, and looked over at N.

"Pi? Pichu?" Pichu asked N, as N nodded.

"I'm pretty certain you will get a chance to battle while we're there, Pichu. You radiate with absolute potential." N said to Pichu, as Ash nodded.

"Besides, I've been wanting to train him for a while now."

_**Liberty Garden…** _

"Stop where you are! And don't interfere!" A Team Plasma grunt suddenly shouted towards a group of people on the island, all the while Burgh and Ash had to say otherwise.

Drawing out Beedrill from his Poké Ball, Burgh called upon him and tapped his finger against a ring on his left hand, causing Beedrill to become encased in a sphere of energy, before emerging as a Mega Evolved Mega Beedrill, sporting larger, lance-like drills, and a sharper, more drill-like body shape as a whole.

"Yeah, no. You're going to politely leave. Now." N said to the Team Plasma grunts present in the area.

"Why?! We need Victini for ourselves!"

"Your goal is to liberate Pokémon not hoard them to yourselves as yet another toy! Get it right!" N suddenly shouted towards the Team Plasma grunts, catching them off guard big time, as the guards were quick to try and retreat, before Burgh's Beedrill quickly cut off their escape route. When they tried to run the other way, Ash and Pichu were quick to blockade the grunts.

"Yeah, no. You're going to follow Burgh back to the mainland and leave this place alone." Ash said to the Team Plasma grunts, who in defeat groaned silently to themselves.

"I will see to it that they get taken away, Ash. Though if you could do me a favor, could both you and N check on the Mythical Pokémon Victini in the lighthouse's basement? I can practically feel it trying to communicate with one of you two." Burgh said, before moving to escort the Team Plasma grunts off the island, who seemed to look at N with a hint of betrayal.

"…" N remained silent in trying to think of what he and Ash would be doing within the lighthouse, and especially involving this "Mythical Pokémon" that Burgh spoke of.

As Ash and N went inside, Pichu was relatively quick to rush into the basement to check things out.

"Pichu pi!" Pichu called, as Ash gasped a bit in shock.

"Pichu! Wait up!" Ash yelled as he rushed downstairs after him, as did N.

"Careful! You don't know what kind of Pokémon you're dealing with yet!" N yelled out, before he and Ash entered what appeared to be some kind of bedroom fit for a Pokémon.

"Pichu!" Pichu began to spark with electricity, but ended up shocking itself a bit instead, feeling a bit dazed for a moment…

… Until cheerful, child-like laughter echoed in the room, as dropping down from the roof and floating before them appeared to be none other than Victini. Ash, doing what he usually does in these situations, was quick to grab his Pokédex.

"Victini, the Victory Mythical Pokémon. It creates an unlimited supply of energy inside its body, which it shares with those who touch it." The Pokédex said, as Victini looked at Pichu happily, before developing a mischievous look.

"So Victini doesn't look so ba-" N had said, but was quickly eating his words once Victini had charged a bright, powerful flash of fiery energy towards Pichu, taking Ash by surprise.

"Hey! What's the big idea attacking my friend out of nowhere?!" Ash yelled at Victini, as Victini giggled.

 _ **(It's kind of rude to deny someone like him a battle, ya know?)**_ Victini suddenly spoke to Ash and N via telepathy, catching Ash off guard as N remained silent.

 _ **(Tell me, Heroes of Truth and Ideals… Who is the one that will truly claim victory for themselves?)**_ Victini asked of both Ash and N, as both of them were stunned.

"All I seek is the Truth, about how Pokémon and people should be liberated from one another as Team Plasma so believes." N spoke, as Ash was a bit shocked to hear that, but regardless, kept his cool, just assuming it was an act by N until Victini was dealt with. He most definitely knew by this point that it was all but stated that N had ties to Team Plasma, but he chose to simply stay quiet and not inform N just yet.

"And all I seek is the Ideal world in which people and Pokémon live happily together." Ash answered, calming himself down quite a lot after his sudden outburst when Victini had caught him off guard at first.

 _ **(Very well, Hero of Ideals… Let's see if you can truly claim victory in this battle, then, shall we? Hehe…)**_ Victini asked, before Ash focused himself as his own aura began to ignite around himself, but Ash held off in focusing his own aura further due to the side-effects it has. Especially considering Victini's Fire Type would dehydrate him easier in its presence.

"Alright, Pichu! Let's do this! Thunder Wave!" Ash called out, all the while N silently observed. He already knew part of the outcome, but he wasn't going to directly try to stop Ash at a time like this, especially considering Victini's words.

"Piiichu!" Pichu yelled before zapping Victini with a wave of electricity, as Victini became encompassed by electrical energy and found it harder to move, but nevertheless continued to move at a faster rate.

 _ **(You're going to want to hit harder than that. Why not come closer and make contact for a moment?)**_ Victini asked, before suddenly igniting its own forehead into flames before suddenly charging Pichu head on with an extremely powerful Fire Type move of sorts, and backed away once Pichu began to spark with another electrical surge.

Ash, recalling Regulus' teaching from last night, chose to focus his own thoughts at the moment so he could concentrate his own aura into a proper Aura Armor as to give Pichu a proper boost in energy to take on Victini with.

Pichu, beginning to radiate with energy both from Ash and from contact with Victini, seemed surprised as to why Victini wasn't attacking again, but disregarded that for now. Pichu, suddenly getting up even from the severe damage from Victini's attack, had only one thing to say…

"Piii…" Pichu began, as he suddenly began to surge with electricity and charge forward towards Victini, as Victini proceeded to attack again with the same, fiery attack as before.

When both Pokémon collided headfirst, Ash had fully concentrated his Aura Armor around himself, and as quick to grab a Great Ball from his bag. Pichu, bursting into a powerful light, was quickly transforming in shape amidst the sparks and flames.

"Alright, let's begin to finish this!" Ash called, before "Pichu" landed back on the ground and had emerged from the explosive lightning in the room caused from the collision of himself and Victini's attack, before looking over at Ash with confidence, before suddenly beginning to spark with electricity and aura-charged energy all at once to the point his own electricity caused his own body to radiate with blue energy.

"PIII, KAAA, CHUUU!" Pikachu yelled out towards Victini, before suddenly slamming headfirst into Victini with a powerful blast of electrical and aura based energy, leaving Victini seemingly knocked out.

"Alright," Ash said, expanding the Great Ball in his hand, "Great Ball, GO!" He yelled, as he sent the Great Ball hurling at Victini with such an immense speed and force that even some of his own aura seemed to accompany it over towards Victini.

Tapping against Victini and opening up, Victini was dragged into the Great Ball all the while N stood completely stunned and shocked from having watched this battle progress to this point.

One shake… *click*

Bypassing the second and third shakes altogether, the Great Ball sealed itself properly around Victini, and Ash's aura dissipated as Ash nearly collapsed to the ground, all the while N went from near horrified to absolutely worried, moving to help Ash stand back on his feet, all the while Pikachu grabbed the Great Ball containing Victini and brought it back to Ash.

"Ash, are you alright?" N asked, legitimately worried since Ash looked rather worn out from the battle, more than likely from dehydration.

"I-I'm fine, really… Now I just need a drink once we get back to the others…" Ash said, as N nodded before the two of them and Pikachu moved to leave, all the while N could privately hear Victini's voice yet again.

_**(Do not fret, young Hero of Truths… Perhaps your own side in this conflict is merely blinding you further from the Truth? Regardless…)** _

_**(Keep up and try your best to become friends with the Hero of Ideals.)** _

**To Be Continued…**


	28. Chapter 27: Rush Hour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time seems to be accelerated for a while as Team Plasma hurries their way out of Castelia City upon being found and stormed by Ash and company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN: My apologies for how fast paced this chapter is. It's part of an in-joke I have regarding Castelia City in the games. Personal experience in Pokemon Games for me is that the largest cities are oddly enough the fastest to clear through in terms of starting up a file and playing it to clear.)

Iris had dragged Cheren and Bianca all across the city by this point, even passing by a building with Team Plasma grunts guarding the entrance to. Without realizing it, though, Iris and co. had already passed the building without even noticing Team Plasma. Oddly enough, Burgh had yet to return to from Liberty Garden to his Gym, the latter was right across from the hijacked building in question.

"… Was that them?" One of them asked.

"Clingy guy and a blond? That's two of them, but where's the Aura Sage?" The other asked, before being turned around all of a sudden, gasping as he was face to face with Ghetsis.

"… Come again?" Ghetsis asked, genuinely surprised by what the grunt had referred to Ash by.

"T-The Aura Sage, sir. I mean I know there's the Seven Sages in our group and then there's the unrelated Aura Sages but-" The grunt kept going on until Ghetsis hushed him to calm down.

"Relax. So you say there's apparently an Aura Sage among our enemies…?" Ghetsis asked, as he lead this particular grunt back into the building, where severe other grunts and another, elderly man standing in the same room… along with Munna right beside them all.

"First a trainer with a Lucario, and now the possibly he could very well be an Aura Sage. Ridiculous." Ghetsis muttered to himself, as he was turned away from the grunt, and looked towards Aldith lurking in a corner of the room.

"Bring him to me. I must see this for myself."

_**Four minutes later…** _

Iris and Ash's friends finally met back up with Ash and N around a small restaurant near Burgh's Gym, and Ash was, rather hastily, downing a glass of ice cold lemonade.

"So using Aura is that bad on your senses? I never knew that." Iris said, referring to the numerous, empty glasses that Ash had on his side of the table. Cheren and Bianca were quietly eating, though N didn't seem to so much as touch his own plate at all.

"So what's wrong with you? Not hungry?" Iris asked N, as N shook his head.

"More like unfamiliar with this kind of food…" N said.

"Come on, silly! It's just a plain hamburger!" Iris told N, trying to reassure him all the while a waitress came by to give Ash another refill, while taking the empty glasses away.

"At the moment, I'm more worried as to Ash's health at this point than trying to feed myself. I mean, you guys didn't really have to invite me along for lunch." N told the group, as Ash quickly began to down another glass of lemonade, prompting a response from Regulus from within his Poké Ball.

_((I've never seen cases of Aura Sages overhydrating themselves, but how many of those have you had thus far?))_

_((Seven. Maybe ten tops.))_ Ash had answered.

_((Well maybe your body will need time to stabilize, as in, stop gulping down every drink you're buying at the moment and wait…))_

_((After how drained and parched I was from facing Victini, not just yet.))_ Ash told Regulus again, all the while N was looking rather worried about Ash at the moment.

"Is this normal for him?" N had asked Cheren.

"… More or less. He's typically had the bigger appetite out of all of us anyways." Cheren told him, as he looked to the side and noticed Bianca had left her seat, which at first, didn't catch him too off guard…

"Hey! Look what we have 'ere, boys!"

… Until the familiar yelling of one of the three hooligans from before echoed across the rather large room, causing Cheren, Iris, and N to turn towards the situation… and see that Bianca was caught in the midst of it.

"Looks like we've found the curvy lady of that group from before, eh, boss?" The woman from before had asked, as the "boss" was busy scarfing down some liquid from a mug.

"Ya! That be the wench alright! Hehehe!" He laughed, all the while Bianca was trying to get out of this spot, before the other male of the group was quick to grab her from behind, causing Bianca to yelp in surprise.

"Where do ya think you're goin', lassie? We're just beginning to have fun!" The man had said, his eyes unnaturally red from before as he was quick to grab hold of a part of Bianca's chest as Bianca began squirming to get out of his large, strong grasp of her.

"Hey!" Cheren suddenly yelled as he had stood up to confront the three of them, sending out Servine in the process. "Leave her alone!" Cheren ordered, as the other two goons had walked up towards Cheren, each of them sending out a large, muscular Pokémon with concrete pillars in hand, and the other sending out a large, wart covered, Frog-like Pokémon.

"So, you lookin' for a fight baby?" The male had asked, all the while the other male suddenly began yelling out in pain as Bianca had managed to get loose off his grasp, with Bianca visibly mortified, and parts of her clothing torn all the while her Emboar had the larger male held up in the air, despite his smaller height.

Iris, being the only sane one at the moment, immediately took hold of Ash's Xtransceiver and began dialing for Officer Jenny, before immediately getting up to walk towards the goons. Ash, seeing the situation, tried to get up to defend his friends, but N held him back.

"Probably not a good idea to get in a fight in your current condition…" N whispered to Ash, as Ash looked at N with confusion. "Besides, Iris seems to have this covered."

Covered wouldn't even begin to describe how the situation was going, as both of the Pokémon sent out by the goons were down on the ground from a larger, tusked, Draconic Pokémon with a green hide. Iris herself, meanwhile, caught the attention of the boss just as Officer Jenny silently arrived and stood beside Bianca.

"Alright, I had warned you three more than once today. Do I seriously need to arrest you again?" Jenny had asked, all the while the three goons looked at her and laughed.

"Well, if it ain't the Officer. Or, rather, that's the implication you even have the guts to stand up to us, ya smug c**t."

An awkward silenced filled the restaurant with that word alone. Officer Jenny had a calm, yet absolutely furious expression, and all the while everyone else was staring agape at the scene now.

Before it even hit any of them they didn't even see it; the three goons were being dragged off and taken custody by other Officer Jennies the moment everyone became focused again, with the original having stayed behind with the group.

Iris and Cheren looked over at Ash and N, who had finally joined back up with them.

"Sooo… I was not ready for today." Ash said.

"I don't think any of us were." Cheren added, as Officer Jenny was busy filling a report over her Xtransceiver. Bianca, meanwhile, had arrived back on the scene in a fresh new set of clothes she had ready for an emergency, all the while Bianca calmed herself once she looked at Cheren, as Cheren calmed down just the same.

"So… Are you hurt, Bianca?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca shook her head.

"No, just… mildly agitated." Bianca said, as Iris sighed.

"At least you managed to handle yourself on your own even after me and Cheren arrived." Iris said.

"Well you did call me onto the scene to take them off for what they did regardless. Sexual assault isn't anything to laugh at around here." Jenny told them, as the group nodded, with the exception of N who simply had a confused expression. This alone prompted Jenny to eye him strangely.

"… Are you related to that Ghetsis guy that's taken hostage of a building earlier?" Jenny asked, all the while this suddenly alarmed the group as a whole as they were quick to bolt towards the building in question, as did N.

"Hey! Wait up! There's something you might need to know!" N yelled after them, as within a few minutes, a Team Plasma grunt from the building in question walked out to see the group charging towards them like an angry mob, and quickly screamed before running back into the building all the while two higher ranking grunts sent out Pokémon to deal with Ash and company.

Cheren's Servine was quick to dispose of one of them by utilizing her speed and agility, alongside Leaf Storm, to send her target Watchog down to the ground. Just the same, Ash's Dewott made relatively short work of a smaller, Poison Type Pokémon that was sent out by repeatedly slashing at it with Razor Shell much like how his fight before was.

"Dang it, these guys are strong!" The one grunt yelled, as the other began to nearly bolt back inside before seeing Burgh's Beedrill rush them as Burgh himself walked out of his Gym to face off against the grunts.

"So a Watchog, a Trubbish, and a Purrloin. How quant." Burgh said to the grunts.

"This coming from the gay one of the gym leaders."

"Maybe I'm gay, or maybe stereotypes are just plain BS! Mmm!" Within seconds, Beedrill Mega Evolved into Mega Beedrill upon Burgh activating his Key Stone, as Beedrill was quick to send all three grunts back inside, and when the group entered the building, they were ready to fight…

… Only to see Ghetsis, and two of the elderly sages present on the scene with the grunts hiding behind them.

"Idiots, you're supposed to be our guards not the other way around! Learn some manners to our guest!" One of the elders spoke up, before the other responded as well.

"Personally, Rood, I thought it was kind of fun to try and take over a building right next to the Gym. Especially during what is clearly rush hour given how quickly everyone moved not too long ago." The other said, all the while Ghetsis simply let out a low grumble of annoyance to get their attention.

"Bronius, I do believe now is my chance to speak and-"

"Munna!" Bianca said, cheerfully running up to her Pokémon as Munna floated up to her happily as well when Bianca hugged her missing Pokémon.

"… If you'd let me finish, I was just going to say that we already had a base of operations fully established; these two pranksters of the Sages simply believed that hijacking this building would accomplish something." Ghetsis said, as Ash approached Ghetsis and didn't look all that happy.

"So, you're Ghetsis of Team Plasma? Why do you steal people's Pokémon?" Ash asked, as Ghetsis looked at Ash with a bit of an intimidating glare.

"As if you have the right to know, but that aside; Team Plasma more or less believes people like yourself are abusing Pokémon more than helping them." Ghetsis said, just as Ash responded with his aura igniting, catching Ghetsis by legitimate surprise as his attitude was no longer found on his expression.

"… My my, so you're the Aura Sage I've heard my grunts speak of?" Ghetsis asked, as Ash nodded.

"Still training to be one, but I suppose you could say that." Ash told Ghetsis, all the while Jenny and Burgh were ready to arrest Ghetsis and the sages for disrupting order in this particular building.

"But, er, if you could do me a favor and try and see if you could spot me, I'd be thankful for that." Ghetsis said, before suddenly shouting, "Now, Aldith!" before the area building suddenly became filled with a dark, powerful smoke as everyone inside began to cough from it.

Ash, trying to use his own Aura Sight to try and spot Ghetsis, was unable to detect anybody's aura due to this smoke. Not until the smoke cleared did it reveal that Team Plasma had already escaped…

… And N had just mysteriously disappeared from the group.

"Looks like they got away…" Burgh said, as he looked at Ash. "I'm assuming that smoke blocked your ability to see auras as well?" Burgh had asked Ash, to which Ash nodded.

"Yeah. It wasn't painful, but it completely blocked out anyone's auras from sight." Ash told him, all the while Officer Jenny sighed.

"This has been just too long of a day for me… Mind if I begin debriefing exactly what had happened so I can alert the other Officers? I've been getting reports that Team Plasma has been spreading all across Unova as of late, so every bit of information is important." Jenny told the group, as Ash stepped forward.

"Well, you see…"

_**Meanwhile…** _

"And what did we learn today, young King?" Ghetsis asked of N.

"To keep your friends closer and your enemies closer? Yeah, I've got all of that in my mind already." N told Ghetsis, before adding, "Why did you want me to group with them for a while, anyways?" N had asked, as Ghetsis grumbled.

"Inconveniences after inconveniences, and believe me when I say this…"

"… They're not the only problems I have to suffer from either." Ghetsis said, as he pulled up a picture of a strange Pokémon on a monitor for N to see. "I'm also pretty sure you're familiar with the abandoned project Colress was working on?" Ghetsis asked N, as N nodded.

"Well, there's been a situation; somebody continued working on them…" Ghetsis said, as he pulled up a radar which pinpointed a signal from a moving entity heading towards Nimbasa City.

"… They escaped not long after the scientists let their guard down, slaughtering everyone stopping them from escaping." Ghetsis told N, as he looked over at the rather horrified N.

"Do you understand now what you must do, Hero of Truth?" Ghetsis had asked, showcasing a map to a desert up north towards a desert-like area.

"Yes…" N said, before looking at a picture of Ash and co. that was taken in secret while they were still in Castelia City.

"I will stall for the time we need for Reshiram's revival."

**To Be Continued…**


	29. Chapter 28: Insect Badge: Rounds 1 and 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Bianca and Ash finish their gym battles against Burgh, something ominous begins to stir further north...

Ash and company didn't waste much time when it came to the Gym Battle with Burgh, so once everything was ready to go, the group immediately began their challenges against Burgh. With Iris staying to spectate, the first one up was…

_**Bianca's Challenge:** _

"I promise I won't make this too awkward for when tomorrow comes." Burgh said towards Bianca, standing on his side of the ring with the first Pokémon he sends out being a small, hermit crab-like Pokémon, which Ash immediately scanned on his Pokédex.

"Dwebble, the Rock Inn Pokémon. It makes a hole in a suitable rock. If that rock breaks, the Pokémon remains agitated until it locates a replacement."

With Bianca's first Pokémon being sent out being a newly caught Pokémon from Pinwheel Forest, a medium sized, wheel-shaped Pokémon with spikes and twin sets of antennae.

"Alright, Whirlipede! Let's kick this off with Sunny Day!" Bianca ordered, as the Pokémon, called a Whirlipede, rotated itself to face upwards towards the sky roof of the gym, causing the sun to shine immensely down onto the battlefield. With Bianca having her eyes covered by sunglasses, her eyes were thankfully not watering just yet from the bright light.

"Clever, preparing for Emboar's arrival, mmm?" Burgh asked, before finishing with, "Alright, in that case! Dwebble! Earthquake!" Burgh called out, as the small crustacean slammed it's pincers into the ground to cause the ground to partially shake, before soon the whole terrain was crumbling apart and approaching Whirlipede.

"Evade and counter with Steamroller, Whirlipede!" Bianca called, as within seconds, Whirlipede began to spin itself like a wheel and ride along the crumbling ground, bouncing off unstable terrain, before jumping up and slamming itself onto Dwebble, nearly flattening Dwebble, before showing just enough restrain when realizing that Dwebble was knocked out.

Landing back on the ground in front of him, Whirlipede watched as Burgh called back his Pokémon and sent out his next. Ash's Pokédex went off before Whirlipede could even see what was soon to strike…

"Karrablast, the Clamping Pokémon. These mysterious Pokémon evolve when they receive electrical stimulation while they are in the same place as Shelmet."

Whirlipede, in an attempt to turn itself around, soon found itself struck in the eye from Karrablast's slicing attack from its horn. Now blinded in one of its eyes, it first began to feel anger towards Karrablast…

… Before promptly beginning to cry like a coward at the sight of Karrablast with its other eye, and speeding across the battlefield to try and avoid the, oddly smaller, Pokémon.

"Hang in there, Whirlipede! I believe in you!" Bianca yelled, trying to calm down Whirlipede's crying fit, before Whirlipede suddenly snapped back into anger from the looks of it, suddenly began rolling in place for a moment…

… And immediately "stepped on the gas" as Whirlipede suddenly charged towards Karrablast and knocked him clean into the wall of the gym. The stunt, while impressive, managed to knock out both Karrablast and Whirlipede at once.

"… Odd, I could've sworn I said I wouldn't make this awkward." Burgh muttered, calling back Karrablast to its Poké Ball and grabbing another for the third and final Pokémon he'd use next. "Alright, let's make this quick; Leavanny, you're up next!" He called, sending out the larger, mantis-like Bug Type Pokémon as his final Pokémon for the match.

"Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon and the Final Form of Sewaddle. It keeps its eggs warm with heat from fermenting leaves. It also uses leaves to make warm wrappings for Sewaddle." Ash's Pokédex said, as it was rather obvious who Bianca was sending out next after having called back Whirlipede.

"Alright, Emboar; go for broke!" Bianca called, all the while the imposing, muscular Mega Fire Pig Pokémon stood up to glare at Leavanny. It was clear from Leavanny's nervous glance that this matchup was clearly one-sided.

With a snort of flames, Emboar charged forward to strike Leavanny, only for Leavanny to quickly move out of the way of the attack. As Emboar was quick to notice this, Bianca huffed a bit… until noticing something about Leavanny's dodges.

"Alright, I've figured this out! Emboar! Burn Leavanny's trail when she dodges!" Bianca commanded, as Emboar was quick to try again and attack Leavanny with a fiery tackle, only for Leavanny to again attempt to dodge. When she did, Emboar suddenly exhaled a blast of flames upon her trailing wind and leaves, causing the flames to catch up to Leavanny and catch her somewhat ablaze.

"Alright, now finish her off!" Bianca called, as Emboar was quick to charge at Leavanny with a blazing fist forming, before suddenly Emboar had struck Leavanny with a powerful, shadowy, flaming punch that sent Leavanny flying back into Burgh. Burgh, catching Leavanny as she was knocked out in his arms, blinked as to how exactly Emboar had managed to bit Leavanny.

"… Well played, Bianca. I look forward to seeing how Don's going to think of Cheren being with you now." Burgh told Bianca, declaring her the victor. While Bianca cheered with Emboar, she couldn't help but notice something, which she shouted alongside Cheren.

"How exactly did you figure that out?!"

_**Ash's Challenge:** _

Ash, stepping into the battlefield, was quick to grab a water bottle from his bag to keep at his side for the moment. Burgh, gaining a more serious expression than usual, knew he was going to have to fight Ash with not just a different team than with his earlier challenge, but also be prepared for anything unusual from Ash.

"Alright, so are you intending on using Regulus, or possibly Victini?" Burgh asked, as Ash didn't answer just yet. Instead, he began to take a drink from the water bottle all the while Burgh was patient… until Ash took a few seconds too long with his drink.

"Er… Is taking a drink even necessary so so-" Ash, holding up a finger to shush Burgh until he was finished with his drink, eventually set aside and stored the bottle back into his bag after sealing it.

"Does… What… What did I just see?" Burgh had asked, genuinely confused by Ash's behavior at this point. He had already heard from Iris about him downing more than a gallon's worth of lemonade at a restaurant today, and already Ash was acting differently than he had seen him act back at Nacrene City.

Ash, finally focusing and sending out Tranquill from her Poké Ball, looked at Burgh in the eye from across the battlefield all the while a grin formed on his face.

"Sooo… Wanna see something cool?" Ash had asked Burgh, as Bianca and Cheren had to take notice of the small crowd that was beginning to form around them.

"When did these people get here?"

"They apparently had heard of Ash's victory at Striaton City." Cheren answered Bianca, all the while Burgh finally answered Ash's question.

"… Mmm… Okay?" Burgh answered, as Ash focused his mind as his eyes turned gold again, before clenching his hands into fists as aura began to emanate from Ash, before solidifying quickly onto his own body and clothing, giving him a distinct, blue aura to those seeing him in addition to the gold eyes. As the crowd was stunned silent as to Ash's powered up state, Ash wave his hand out towards Tranquill as she had begun burn with the same aura that Pansear was radiating with the prior night.

"Alright, Tranquill, be sure to keep focus during this!" Ash called out, all the while Tranquill was ready for the fight. Burgh, grabbing a Poké Ball from his belt, immediately sent out his first response to Tranquill.

"Alright, Crustle, you're up first!" Burgh called, as the large, hermit crab-like Pokémon emerged, as it was evident to Bianca and Cheren that this was the evolved form of Dwebble.

"... It possesses legs of enormous strength, enabling it to carry heavy slabs for many days, even when crossing arid land." The Pokédex finished as Ash had become able to hear his friends from the crowd now.

"So… Shall we begin?" Burgh asked, as Ash nodded.

"Steel Wing!" Ash called, as Tranquill was quick to fly straight towards Crustle.

"Smack Down!" Burgh called, as Crustle had attempted to knock Tranquill out of the air, before it seemed as if Tranquill had teleported from in front of itself and just as quickly struck Crustle from behind.

Crustle, getting quickly annoyed due to this unfamiliar technique, tried again to strike at Tranquill, only for Tranquill to strike again with such a fierce force that the giant slab of stone forming its shell was knocked off. As Tranquill grabbed the now exposed Crustle, she quickly dragged Crustle upwards, before slamming it back down onto the ground with a fierce crash.

As Crustle was quickly knocked out, it seemed on the verge of tears… until…

"Hey, Burgh, give me a sec before recalling Crustle." Ash said, before walking onto the battlefield, all the while Tranquill and Burgh, and even the audience, were surprised by this action.

Ash, grabbing the stone slab used as Crustle's shell, was careful with using his enhanced abilities from aura to lift the slab back onto Crustle's back. As he carefully placed the slab onto Crustle where it belonged, Crustle looked up at Ash as it had stopped crying. Ash, giving off a cheerful, reassuring expression through the layer of aura covering his face, moved to pat Crustle on the head.

"Try and be careful of some others; some are not as nice as I am in situations like these." Ash said, as Crustle looked at the leaving Ash rather stunned, as Burgh, was uncertain of what exactly to do next.

"… Wow. That was..." Burgh began to say, trailing off as Ash stood back on his side of the battlefield and called back Tranquill on his own accord. Burgh, quietly calling back Crustle, finally finished what he was trying to say.

"You're the only trainer I've seen actually go out of their way to help my Crustle like that, even when considering most trainers I face could care less about their opponent's Pokémon." Burgh complimented Ash's behavior, as Bianca and Cheren slowly began to clap for Ash, all the while the audience slowly, but quietly, began to clap as well. They knew the battle wasn't over just yet.

"Alright, so we'll send out our next Pokémon next." Ash said, drawing out a Poké Ball from his belt, as he was quick to send out his next Pokémon. He had looked a lot like Pansear, yet it was clear that it was most definitely not. He now appeared large, with a longer, somewhat bushier tail representing flames, all the while sporting a collar of fur around his neck.

"Alright, Simisear, are you ready?" Ash asked, as Simisear simply glanced over at Ash with a thumb's up to him, as he was quick to ignite with the same aura he did last night as his prior form, and just like the same aura that Tranquill had in turn.

"Alright, so if we can resume…" Burgh said, appreciating Ash's kind nature, but not wanting to bore the audience or delay the match's length. "Go! Accelgor!" Burgh said, as the Pokémon known as Accelgor emerged from its Poké Ball and simply folded its small arms across its chest as it gazed at Simisear.

"So, ready?" Ash asked, as Burgh nodded.

"Alright, my move first; Rain Dance, Accelgor!" Burgh called towards Accelgor, as Accelgor's eyes glowed blue at the command, its body unmoving, as suddenly the sky roof began to have rain fall down into the arena below, and all the while Ash's command for Simisear was unusual.

"Alright! Simisear, Sunny Day!" Ash called out, as Simisear was quick to have his eyes glow red, before the rain immediately ended and the weather became sunny again…

"… Rain Dance." … Only for the rain to return. "Was there any point to that?" Burgh had asked Ash, as Ash shrugged.

"Was double checking something." Ash replied, before without warning, Accelgor made its move against Simisear in the form of multiple, water forged shurikens being thrown his way for strong amounts of damage. Simisear, however, seemed prepared for this. Gesturing his hands upward, Simisear forged rocks from the ground to strike at Accelgor with, but Accelgor's speed was not having any of that.

Unlike Bianca's tactic with Leavanny, though, Simisear did not need to rely on his opponent's speed to get in a good strike. Summoning larger rocks this time around, Accelgor was quick to move to attack Simisear from behind… up until Simisear had the rocks collide with both itself and Accelgor at once. Easing through the pain of the collision with the help of the aura surging around himself due to Ash's part, the rocks faded and Simisear stood standing victorious this round. Wounded, yes, but still able to last…

… Up until Burgh drew out his next Poké Ball after calling Accelgor back.

"Alright, last Pokémon on my end, can we put up a good show?" Burgh called, before sending out Beedrill as his last Pokémon. Ash, though, knew that Simisear probably wouldn't stand a chance…

… But he could work with those odds regardless.

Burgh, touching the ring on his left hand, Mega Evolved Beedrill to match up against Ash's Pokémon having an aura field around them.

Mega Beedrill was clearly not amused by simply seeing Simisear before him. Something was clearly bothering him, but Ash didn't know what hostility Burgh's Beedrill has even had as a whole still.

"Alright, let's continue, shall we? DRILL RUN!" Burgh called at a faster pace than his usual dialogue, since he was clearly bothered by how long his match with Ash has lasted for some reason. Ash, at first, thought it was simply a rude behavior on Burgh's part…

… Until the back of his hair stood up as something's aura had suddenly entered Ash's hearing range. Ash, closing his eyes to look around, noticed an unusual, red aura flying in the sky and heading north to places unknown to Ash at the moment. Whatever it was, it had made a loud, explosion-like sound when it flew by; its own speed having surpassed sound itself.

 _((… What was that I had just sensed?))_ Regulus asked from within his Poké Ball.

 _((… Considering we're heading up north after tomorrow anyways, we'll probably find out soon enough…))_ Ash told Regulus as to get him to calm down, all the while quickly realizing that in his distraction, Beedrill didn't bother getting distracted from attacking Simisear and had already knocked out the Ember Pokémon.

"He's got issues doesn't he?" Ash asked Burgh about Beedrill, as Burgh didn't move.

"… He's like that at times, just never allows himself to get distracted by trivial things in his eyes." Burgh said to Ash about Beedrill, before Ash called out his next Pokémon. He had a choice between Tranquill and Dewott, but Dewott won over since he had noticed that perhaps Tranquill wasn't the best choice due to her overly harsh battle style as seen before.

"Alright, Dewott! Let's finish this!" Ash said, calling out the Discipline Pokémon before him. As before, Ash's aura caused Dewott to ignite with the same power that Tranquill and Simisear had both been able to use prior in the battle.

"You're move." Ash said to Burgh, as Burgh was surprised a bit, before nodding.

"Mmm, well in that case, Poison Jab!" Burgh called towards Beedrill, all the while Beedrill immediately struck forward Dewott with his drill-like limbs and stinger, as Dewott was knocked backwards a bit towards Ash…

Dewott, standing back up, began to burst in power with an aura of his own alongside the aura of Ash, which near perfectly concealed Dewott in water to where the water and aura took the shape of a different Pokémon.

"Wait, hold on; Dewott's not evolving is he?" Cheren asked, as his Pokédex was currently scanning Dewott, but noted that while the water had taken shape of Dewott's evolved form, it didn't actually evolve at all. Dewott, though, stayed relatively emotionless in expression aside from hostility towards Beedrill, and was quick to suddenly rush out into the battlefield with both scalchops in hand.

Beedrill, moving to parry Dewott's attacks with his lance-like limbs, found himself quickly being overwhelmed by the amount of physical force that Dewott was projecting all at once, before suddenly being knocked upwards into the air as Beedrill's wings were becoming soaked by the rain.

"Now then, Dewott! Mysterious Samurai!" Dewott called out, as Dewott suddenly began to strike at Beedrill with an immense speed and force, to the point that Beedrill was overwhelmed and taken by surprise as to how much power Dewott was hiding this whole time. With each individual scalchop slash and the teleport-like movements quickly wearing down Beedrill, Dewott was quick to appear in front of Beedrill and strike downwards with both scalchops in hand to send Beedrill back towards the ground with himself.

Beedrill, reverting back to his original form afterwards, was called back to his Poké Ball all the while Ash's own aura dissipated and Ash rushed onto the, still raining, battlefield to tackle hug Dewott.

"Way to go Dewott!" Ash called, as Dewott was somewhat shocked and confused by Ash's action, even having his normally emotionless expression change into that of a much softer, much more friendly sense of questioning more than anything.

"Well, I do believe that's a warp!" Burgh said, clapping as he walked towards Ash, all the while the audience cheered. Bianca, cheering as well, was quick to notice Cheren trying to sneak his way out of the scene, until Bianca had forced him to stay.

"… Look Bianca I don't think this is a good idea… Couldn't I wait until after tomorrow to face Burgh? I mean, once the crowd clears and such so I won't be embarrassed…?" Cheren whispered, as Bianca pouted. Cheren cringed at the thought of having to put up a fight to that, so began to walk up towards the battlefield where Ash once stood.

Ash, standing up to face Burgh, exchanged glances and nodded to each other in understanding as Burgh handed Ash his new badge.

"With the Insect Badge, you'll need just one other badge before you'll be able to get further ahead in Unova." Burgh said, as Ash blinked in confusion as to what he had meant.

"… The areas up north are on lockdown aren't they?" Ash said, his eyes widening in shock once he had put two and two together.

"Everywhere except Nimbasa City." Burgh said, as without warning Ash's hair stood up on the back of his head again, this time detecting another aura entering the vicinity. He closed his eyes to look around and sense what it was…

… And it was a total of four red auras heading towards the northern half of Unova at a high speed…

… Followed by another, undetermined aura whose sheer power alone had caused Ash to fall backwards in pain, all the while Ash groaned a bit trying to open his eyes again.

 _((… What the hell did I just sense…? The other five auras I could tell were, somehow, Pokémon, but… that last aura… It was actually utilizing aura to fly up above!))_ Regulus began speaking from within his Poké Ball again, all the while Ash checked his Pokédex to try and see if it could somehow detect what exactly he had saw for a brief moment before being blinded by its aura momentarily.

 _((Not to mention the absurd strength I sensed coming from it as well, let's see if the Pokédex can somehow analyze it…))_ Ash replied to Regulus, and all the while the voice on the Pokédex began to speak… everyone had just gone from cheering Ash for his victory to dead silence and horror.

"Mewtwo, the Genetic Legendary Pokémon. Mewtwo is a Pokémon that was created by genetic manipulation. However, even though the scientific power of humans created this Pokémon's body, they failed to endow Mewtwo with a compassionate heart."

**To Be Continued…**


	30. Chapter 29: Insect Badge: Round 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheren begins his fight against Burgh, and begins to question part of his reasoning for wanting to become the Champion of Unova.

_**Cheren's Challenge:** _

Cheren was going to have a long, long remainder of the day.

By the time Ash had begun his match with Burgh, the gym battle caught the attention of a few reporters and Ash's battle was put onto broadcast, not only that, but he knew for certain that they weren't leaving any time soon…

… For he knew he wasn't going to hide the Pokémon he'd send out next for more than a day further.

"Alright… Burgh… Let us begin." Cheren said, avoiding calling Burgh "dad" due to the size of the crowd by this point, and the fact this was being recorded my a cameraman and reporter in the background.

"Seriously, why avoid hiding in plain sight? Everyone in this city already knows you're my son." Burgh said, as Bianca's eyes widened a bit in the crowd. As she looked over towards the nervous Cheren, she gulped a bit with nervousness here, all the while staying towards the front of the crowd with Ash.

"… You had to say it out loud on camera, didn't you?" Cheren asked, as Cheren sighed, before calling out his Pokémon for the challenge. "Alright, Virizion, let's go!" He called, as Virizion emerged from its Poké Ball onto the field. Burgh, calling out Leavanny first, already knew he was in for a challenge.

"Alright, let me guess; you want this battle to just end and wrap things up quickly, don't you?" Burgh asked, as Cheren nodded.

"Yes! I'm kind of getting tired of the attention as it is…" Cheren said, as Bianca began to worry from the audience. She had begun to think to herself about something that made her realize why Cheren was so upset.

Cheren, not seeming to glance towards the audience, watched silently as Burgh gave the command to his Leavanny.

"Alright, Leavanny! X-Scissor! Don't let your guard down!" Burgh commanded, all the while Leavanny rushed towards Virizion with glowing claws to strike, but Virizion was quick to react.

Knocking out Leavanny with a powerful, Rock Type attack in the form of spikes emerging from the ground, Leavanny was quickly called back to her Poké Ball, all the while Burgh had to think of something fast in regards to Virizion.

"… Calm down, my son." Burgh began to ask of Cheren, all the while choosing to send out a different Pokémon than who he was supposed to send out next; Beedrill.

"…" Cheren remained quiet, seemingly in the verge of tears all the while Bianca could tell why Cheren was acting this way.

She had never directly said she had loved him back.

"… Cheren…?" Bianca whispered, wanting Cheren's stressed state to calm down. All the same, Ash could begin to feel a form of energy begin to form within Cheren, as he closed his eyes to see what it was.

 _((Regulus, we might need to prepare for this…))_ Ash had warned Regulus through Aura Speak, all the while Cheren began to try and command Virizion.

"A-Alright, Virizion! Stone Edge!" Cheren called, his voice trembling as he had commanded Virizion…

… But Virizion did not respond.

"Cheren, you need to calm down, please, for everyone's sake!" Bianca yelled to Cheren, as Ash was caught by surprise as the energy within Cheren began to increase in prominence.

"I know what I'm looking for at the moment! I need to become the Champion, don't you get it?!" Cheren yelled to Burgh, all the while Virizion stood perfectly still.

"… Cheren, is there perhaps another motivation behind you wanting to become the Champion? Some kind of desire that you want that'll only be achieved by such a goal?" Burgh had asked, all the while Cheren closed his eyes for a moment, trying to think about it.

"Yes, actually…" Cheren said, opening his eyes up again as his body began to radiate with a weak, yet prominent aura.

"I'm tired of being so weak and helpless for those I care about. The one I love, my friends, everyone else! I want to feel strong so I can protect them!" Cheren yelled, all the while Burgh simply smiled a tad bit in response. Virizion, finally striking Beedrill with Stone Edge as Cheren had commanded earlier, seems to have fully caught the attention of the audience.

' _This is my son.'_ Burgh thought to himself, all the while sending out his next and last Pokémon, which was one that even Ash and Bianca didn't have to face just yet.

"Go, Scizor!" Burgh called, as before him stood a tall, red colored insectoid with an exoskeleton made of metal with crab-like pincers and small wings.

As Bianca scanned Scizor in her Pokédex, Ash was taken by surprise with how Virizion was under attack by Scizor… despite the fact Scizor didn't appear to move at all.

"Cheren, if you truly wish to protect your own friends, and everyone important to you, than you must know that even the mightiest of threats will face your way." Burgh told his son, all the while activating the Key Stone on his ring as Scizor began to surge with energy, becoming encased in it before emerging with a more heavily armored exterior and having enlarged pincers.

As Mega Scizor was about to attack, Burgh made a gesture with his hands for it to stop, and simply wait this out.

"… So, if I can simply ask this once. I want your strongest Pokémon to hit Scizor as hard as it can. Am I clear?" Burgh asked of Cheren, all the while Cheren looked towards him with a bit of shock and slight frustration.

"What do you mean? Virizion is my strongest!" Cheren said, before being given a look by Burgh that suggested otherwise. Cheren, calling Virizion back, was quick to send out Servine next, knowing she was the only other logical answer to Burgh's request.

"Now then, now that Servine is out. You, me, hard as you can. Is that clear?" Burgh had asked, all the while Ash's eyes were blinded for a moment upon looking towards Cheren.

"… Crystal." Cheren said, before the energy slowly radiating within himself suddenly exploded into a plume of flames, with Cheren's wrists and forehead becoming covered in strange, lava-like markings as the energy field around himself began to intensify. The markings disappeared after a quick moment, as the raw energy forged around Cheren into a coating of lava-like substance.

"Servine?" Cheren asked of his starter, as Servine looked back towards him. "… Evolve."

As Cheren said that, energy from Cheren's energy field began to surge towards Servine, and as Cheren had commanded, Servine's body began to change in a quick fashion. Losing her legs entirely with her arms folding towards her back, she now had the body type more akin to an actual serpent Pokémon. As Bianca scanned her Pokédex for Servine's evolved form, Ash could properly see more clearly with his eyes to address the situation.

 _((Heartsoul?))_ Ash asked Regulus.

_((Heartsoul. A bit unorthodox how he called upon it, but yes.))_

"Serperior, the Regal Pokémon and the Final Form of Snivy. They raise their heads to intimidate opponents but only give it their all when fighting a powerful opponent." Bianca's Pokédex explained, as Cheren looked determined towards Burgh, although part of him felt like he could barely control this energy that was unknown to him.

"Serperior, Sunny Day!" Cheren called out, his voice a tad unusually enraged, but normal regardless. Serperior, gazing up into the dusk sky, called upon a heavy light to shine down into the arena below, as Serperior began to glow with an intense energy.

Cheren, promptly giving Serperior the energy stored within him, gave a boost towards Serperior that had caused her to burst into flames, and triggered a worried reaction from Scizor.

_((Regulus?))_

_((Heartsoul's Type Change effect. He basically turned Serperior and her Grass Type moves into Fire Type ones for the duration of the energy's effects.))_

"Alright, Serperior! Frenzy Plant!" Cheren called, as Serperior stirred energy from within the ground to cause vines, fiery in nature, to repeatedly strike at Scizor in a brutal fashion until Scizor was knocked into the air, before promptly hitting the ground with a scorched body.

"Now then, looks like you've won this one…" Burgh said, with a sigh of relief as Cheren was beginning to calm himself down as the energy dissipated. Collapsing to the ground all the while Bianca helped him stay standing, Cheren's tired gaze looked at Bianca with a small smile forming on his face.

"See, what did I say? I hit him as hard I c-"

Sadly, Cheren was interrupted by Bianca immediately kissing him on the lips as her means of getting him to stop talking. Even though Cheren was brave when he had kissed her before, he was completely caught off guard when Bianca had kissed him this time. Mainly because of the cheering crowd and one of his own dads walking right up to him now.

"Well, I can say this much for certain-" Burgh said, before being interrupted by a loud roar outside of his gym, as Ash looked out to see a large, silver avian with his own mother rushing into the gym.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Ash had asked, as Cheren stood up along with Bianca to walk over to them, as did Burgh.

"Well, tomorrow is a holiday, so I wanted all of you to be at home for a good night's rest!" Delia said, as Ash sighed as he shrugged.

"Same ole' mom I see."

_**Meanwhile, further north…** _

Flying across the sky at a lightning fast speed, a Pokémon of an unknown nature flew towards a waterfall to land. As it landed, its body began to shift in parts; it's main body unfolded to form a cannon and its head, and the arms and legs began to unfold as the Pokémon landed on the ground in a bipedal, hunched over stance.

 **{Alright, Pokémon of Genetics. You have some explaining to do for the Army…}** The Pokémon spoke in a monotone, cybernetic voice, which had a distinct sound that gave the impression of a young man akin to N or Ash.

As the Pokémon watched towards the south, four others just like it in all but coloration landed beside it. Each of these four individuals appeared to have different "ammo" on their back cannons than the rest, judging by the bright yellow, red, cyan, and blue colored cartridges plugged onto the back of their cannons.

 **{They seem mighty tough for chasing us out when we had the advantage, don't they?}** The one with the cyan cartridge spoke up, speaking in a similar monotone voice, but having a distinct, deep south sounding dialect to its voice.

 **{Hmmm, still seems kind of odd though. How does a pure Psychic type know of any Fire Type moves?}** The one with the red cartridge spoke up, speaking in a similarly deep, obscene and "funky" type of dialect than the other did, which seemed to only anger the differently colored one that had arrived first.

 _{I told you we should've just stayed away from the guy, didn't we Geneshine?}_ The one with the blue cartridge spoke up, speaking in a very old fashioned voice and even sounding like an aged recording. Hearing them speak, the oddly colored specimen began to tremble not just with annoyance, but growing rage and fury as well. It did not help when one of the others spoke up as well.

 _{Perhaps we should wait to see what they still have to say once they land?}_ The one with the yellow cartridge spoke up, but while it was clear that the others could understand its voice, to anyone else the voice sounded like electrical, distorted noises of the louder variety. When the fourth began to speak as well, the odd Pokémon out began to charge up a sphere of energy from the cannon on its back.

 **{SHUT UP YOU FOUR YOUR DIALECTS ARE GETTING ON MY NERVES! I can only take too much stupidity at once! The fact Colress gave you such distorted, damaged voice chips in the first place is beyond me! Nobody likes to hear you speak with such tones! Now if you'd be so kind, shut the fu-}** The leader began to rant, before the cyan cartridge individual began to speak up against the leader.

**{Okay racist if you must know! It's because Colress built us with damaged voice chips!}**

Before they could argue any further, and immediately upon the leader firing its own cannon from sheer rage, the mysterious entity that was chasing the five began to, slowly, float through the energy being fired from the oddly colored leader, as if the attack did absolutely nothing to it in terms of damage. The being had a taller, imposing stature with a somewhat muscular, yet skinny physique, and had skin of a pale purple with a purple colored tail. The being's eyes were a fierce, soul piercing shade of violet, and that look along was enough to completely silence the silver eyed leader.

" _My apologies, but was that supposed to be aimed at me or your "friends"? I'm sorry but I seem to find it difficult to determine what you're going for if you're going to stay blinded by unyielding rage like that."_ The being spoke, as the leader began to take steps away, as it had stopped firing its cannon as soon as it was clear the being was unharmed by it.

 **{Er… Mewtwo, isn't it? Pleasure to meet you here in Unova… What brings you here I have to ask?}** The leader asked, all the while Mewtwo simply laughed and floated into the air, all the while raising its own left wrist up to face towards them. The wrist was equipped with an unusual, ancient-looking device with slots for glowing crystals of varying color.

" _This, my friends, is what I am here in Unova to test out. I have recently modified this device, a Looplet, as one would call it, and have given it the ability to absorb the energy of specific moves to forge crystals called Emera within the slots on the exterior."_ Mewtwo told all of them, as they all looked confused except the leader.

 **{So, in case you're wondering who we are. I am designated as Geneshine. Next to me with the Burn Drive is designated Genebooster. Beside me with the Chill Drive is designated as Geneglacia. The other two, who I despise the most with the Douse and Shock Drives, are Geneshowers and Genethunders respectively. Together, we are the Genesect Army!}** Geneshine introduced the group of them, before all five of them focused their gazes on Mewtwo.

**{Key question is, though, why here? Why now? Most importantly…}**

**{What is this empty feeling I have inside me…?}**

**To Be Continued…**


	31. Chapter 30: Peaceful Celebrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone takes a breather due to the holidays as Ash feels haunted by a dream in his mind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN: Happy 20th Anniversary, Pokémon!)

With Delia carrying Ash, Cheren, Bianca, and Burgh on the back of Lugia towards Nuvema Town for the holiday, Ash was dozing off at the moment. Holding onto his own mom to avoid falling off, Ash had begun to dream for a while. As Lugia landed in Nuvema Town, with brief torrential winds hitting the ground below itself, everyone got off of the giant, Diving Pokémon's back. Delia, carrying the sleeping Ash in her arms, carefully waved everyone goodbye for the night, and went inside her own home with Ash.

As Lugia saw each of them get off safely, Lugia raised its arm-like wings and flew off into the ocean to slumber, all the while Cheren, Bianca, and Burgh were walking towards Bianca's house.

"I figured before we head to bed that you'd explain yourself to Don. He's going to find out anyways." Burgh said to Cheren, as Cheren nodded and sighed.

"Y-Yeah… I'm just kind of scared what his reaction will be…" Cheren said, as Bianca giggled a bit.

"I wouldn't have too much to worry about. I mean, sure, we snuggle. A lot. Even kissed two times, but it's not like we tried to have-"

"Bianca!" Don's voice could be heard as Cheren carefully ducked out of way of the door being flung open. "I'm so glad you're home and-" Don was saying, before noticing Cheren… and Burgh.

"Oh, OH! I-It's you, Burgh… Was Felix too busy?" Don had asked, his voice sounded rather intimidated by Burgh. Primarily having to do with Burgh being at least a foot taller than he was here.

"Actually I'm home for the holidays since it'll be Thanksgiving tomorrow. I just came to stop by with my son because he has something he wants to tell you." Burgh said, motioning for Cheren to look Don in the eye, as Don's expression was a bit more serious, but not by much.

"Were you protective of my daughter during your first part of your journey, Cheren? Were you and Ash both looking after her?" Don had asked, his voice having calmed a bit. Cheren, looking at Don in the eye, nodded in response.

"So, then, what did you have to tell me?" Don had asked, all the while looking over to the rather nervous Bianca as Don had asked that. Judging by Bianca's expression, Don could quickly deduce what Cheren had to say ahead of time.

"Well, you see, sir… Me and Bianca have, well…" Cheren began to say as he stuttered, before finishing with "Me and Bianca have gotten together during the first part of our trip." Cheren said, as he closed his eyes to avoid whatever stern gaze Don probably had against him. Don, though, did not have such a gaze.

"Cheren… Would you open your eyes, please?" Don had asked, in a voice that sounded too calm for Cheren's own good. Doing as he had asked, Cheren looked back towards Don to see a smile and expression of what appeared to be approval.

"Cheren, as much as it had worried me over the past week as to wondering about Bianca's safety and how she would have changed… I am at least glad she had chosen someone like you to be alongside with in life." Don told Cheren, which prompted Bianca to tackle hug the dumbfounded Cheren in surprise, all the while Don let out a jolly laugh.

"Well, it seems Felix was right about you two after all…" Don spoke up, as now he grimaced a bit. "… Plus now I also owe him ₱5,000…" Don had spoken up, catching Cheren and Bianca by surprise.

"YOU TWO BETTED ON US?!" They both yelled in unison, all the while Burgh silently laughed to himself during this.

_**Meanwhile, at the Ketchum Household…** _

As Ash was fast asleep, Delia had taken the time to let out Ash's Pokémon out of their respective Poké Balls, as she had a look as to which Pokémon Ash had on hand. Delia's heart practically melted in joy upon seeing Ash's Pikachu, all the while the two much older Pikachu that have stayed at her house arrived on the scene quickly.

"Pika!" Ash's Pikachu cheerfully spoke up upon seeing the two older Pikachu, before suddenly snuggling up to the female Pikachu that Delia had for herself, all the while the male Pikachu had gently patted the smaller Pikachu on the head in contentment.

"Pikapi!" The father Pikachu spoke up, all the while noticing some of Ash's other Pokémon and was surprised by who he had seen; a Dewott, a Shiny Tranquill, a Simisear, Victini, and a Lucario that the male Pikachu was all too surprised to see before him.

"Pika! Pikapika!" The older, male Pikachu spoke up towards Regulus, as Regulus responded to him in various, canine-like growls. Delia, taking notice of Regulus, was equally surprised.

"A-Arcturus? Is that really you?" Delia had asked, eyes widening a little bit.

"Actually, the name is Regulus; I'm her son." Regulus introduced himself to Delia, "I'm surprised you don't remember me as the small, defenseless Riolu that your husband had alongside him much of the time." Regulus finished, as Delia gasped as she moved over towards him to, carefully, hug Regulus in a tight grasp.

"Wow! I can't believe you've grown so much since those days, Regulus! You look so much like your own mother all grown up!" Delia said, letting go of Regulus to have a look at Ash's other Pokémon, especially taking notice of Victini. "Oh hey, Victini! It's been a while since that time in which I was stuck as a Phione back in the day, right?" Delia spoke to Victini, as Victini nodded.

 _ **(Indeed, it's been a long time, Delia. I see that judging by the Hero of Ideals in rest, that you found somebody more worthy of your partnership, yes?)**_ Victini had asked, as Delia moved to speak but kept quiet for a moment.

"Well… Yes, I did… But now he's been missing for over 17 years now. He never even got to learn I was pregnant with Ash by the time he had vanished during a visit to Driftveil City." Delia spoke up, as she had looked at Regulus. "By any chance do you know what had happened?" She asked him, as Regulus shook his head.

"I was quickly sent out of my Poké Ball alongside Pikachu and told to run for it by Clay before we could figure out what had happened." Regulus started, "… And all I could remember was some kind of explosion going off in a mountain range not far from the city, and Sirius was nowhere in sight." Regulus finished, all the while looking at a sleeping Ash on the couch.

Using a brief tint of his aura abilities to cover Ash up in a blanket, Regulus sighed as he looked out the wide windows of the living room.

"I can't even begin to imagine the possibilities of what had happened to him…" Regulus said, as Delia nodded.

"Even though I know what was most likely to have happened to him… I still hope he's somehow alright…" Delia added in, as she moved over towards the sleeping Ash, gently kissing him on the cheek, before moving to leave the room for her own.

"All of you can all enjoy the living room's space as you please. Just be sure to keep the noise down, please. Some of us are very tired after today." Delia said before moving to retire to her own bedroom, all the while Regulus and Victini both nodded, all the while Victini looked at Regulus with a bit of a grin.

_**(Sooo, I sense that the Hero of Ideals has a Wii U upstairs. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, anyone?)** _

"Bitchin'." Regulus replied with a bit of a grin of his own this time.

"Pikachu!" The three Pikachu perked up as well, all the while Tranquill didn't respond deliberately, all the while Simisear gave a thumbs up in approval, while Dewott silently nodded his head in determination as well.

As the seven Pokémon that actually had hands went upstairs to Ash's room, Tranquill stayed downstairs to observe Ash in silence. Since she had lacked any hands, it was clear she couldn't actively participate. In a sense, it had even made her question her own worth as well; even Lugia appeared to have hands on its own wings as well.

As Tranquill began to think more deeply, she soon began to fall asleep as well on her own perch of the couch that Ash was on.

_As Ash was dreaming, he began to see himself in a similar, black void as he had seen before from the Dark Stone. As he began to walk around in his dream, he began to notice crystals spark with electricity, all the while Ash had quickly began to deduce where he was at the moment._

_In a moment's notice, he could've sworn he had heard an ominous tone of sorts, before Ash moved to continue walking through the dimly lit cavern. Eventually seeing a dark, shrouded specter in the darkness, Ash felt pressured to move towards it as it had begun to move deeper into the cave._

_Eventually following it to a deeper part of the cave, he noticed a small shrine of sorts next to a wall. Ash, rather scared to approach it, was gestured by the specter to inspect it. As Ash had walked towards it, he had quickly begun to notice the type of shrine it was; it was a grave of sorts._

" _I want to leave a note for Delia, and possibly whoever my own heir to the title of the Aura Hero of Unova is." A voice began to speak in Ash's mind, all the while Ash had approached the relic in front of him and began to kneel down to look at it._

" _I don't know if I'll make it out of here alive, buried underneath all of this rubble by an unknown Pokémon." The voice continued, all the while tears began to slightly form in Ash's eyes as he inspected the small grave._

" _All I do know, is that to whoever my future heir is, and especially to my wife Delia…" The voice moved on, as Ash began to inspect the sight further and began to cry a little._

" _No… This can't be real…"_

" _I will always love them, even from where I will most likely eternally rest for good." The voice finished, as Ash silently looked at the grave in despair and fright…_

" _Sirius Ketchum, a loving trainer and a true Hero of Aura. 1968-1993."_

As morning quickly arrived during Ash's sleep, Ash woke up and seemed to have a tearful expression as he had woken up. As he had rubbed his eyes to look ahead of him, he could see "Tranquill" in his sleepy gaze, before he was quick to grab his Pokédex to double check.

"Unfezant, the Proud Pokémon and the Final Form of Pidove. Males have plumage on their heads. They will never let themselves feel close to anyone other than their Trainers." Ash's Pokédex said, as Ash had a look at Tranquill and sighed.

"I guess that's why nobody else is in sight at the moment?" Ash had asked, as Ash slowly moved to get off of the couch to begin to cook breakfast, seeing as everyone else was still asleep, and he had a lot of mouths to feed today. Getting started with grabbing a, seemingly freshly bought, bag of pancake mix, Ash began to prepare breakfast for everybody.

Ash, though, couldn't help but wonder what Regulus and his other Pokémon were doing at the moment. Tapping into his aura senses as he began preparing the pancake mix, he was quick to peer into his bedroom to see his own Pokémon all asleep.

Regulus was asleep on the bed, all the while he was holding Simisear and Victini beside him, all the while the three Pikachu were asleep besides Regulus' head. Dewott, despite his usual attitude, was asleep next to Regulus' feet. Ash, mentally smiling at the thought of his Pokémon getting along together so well, continued to prepare breakfast for this morning.

Unfezant, waking up at the smell of food, flew up to Ash as Ash, out of instinct, held his left arm out for Unfezant to land on. Despite Unfezant having doubled in weight from her prior form, Ash's physical strength had increased over the past few days. The training session he and Regulus had the night before the trip to Castelia City certain did wonders for him in that regard.

Delia, silently walking out of her room to look at Ash from the distance, was surprised to see Ash awake at this time, but nevertheless accepted it since she had realized that Ash making breakfast was inevitable so long as he was home for once.

"You don't have to be so quiet, mom." Ash spoke up, taking Delia by a tiny bit of surprise, but nevertheless Delia simply walked out into view of Ash.

"So Regulus has trained you I see? I had always figured you would have inherited so much from your father at some point." Delia said, in a somewhat drowsy yet happy tone.

"Lemme guess he was also the better cook of you two wasn't he?" Ash had asked, as Delia stumbled a bit at Ash's question.

"H-How did you figure that out?!" Delia had asked, as Ash laughed a bit.

"Oh, nothing. Aside from the fact your reaction already told me the answer." Ash said with a bit of laughter, all the while Unfezant moved to fly off to another part of the first floor of the house.

"So did you actually fall in love at first sight with dad or was it just the flutes? Regulus told me a bit about it, but not what happened after the incident with Semi-Shadow Lugia." Ash had asked Delia, as Delia thought for a moment.

"To be honest, we had actually tried to escape the movement of the Soul Flutes for a while… but after a while of Sirius having to save my own life constantly, even quite literally at one point… He had basically decided that he simply couldn't live without me and he had asked for my hand in marriage." Delia explained to Ash, as she sighed a little bit.

"I feel so sorry that he never got to learn about my pregnancy with you, since he seemed so have asked to marry me before and he legitimately seemed happy on our honeymoon…" Delia reminisced, as Ash sighed.

Eventually finishing up breakfast for everyone, Ash had placed the pancakes on plates and cut them up, placing Delia's on a table, Unfezant's in the windowsill, Regulus', Simisear's, and Victini's on a table in the living room, and then placing the three Pikachu's plates on the ground where he had usually placed plates of food for just the parents.

"Pikapi!" The three Pikachu came running down the stairs, just as Ash had finished up the last batch of pancakes both for Dewott and himself. Placing Dewott's plate closer to himself, Ash delayed on serving himself until he saw Simisear swing his way downstairs, Victini to float downstairs with a giggle, Regulus to quickly wall jump over to his plate of cut up pancakes, and for Dewott to silently make his way downstairs by walking down quietly.

"Hey, Dewott? Why don't you eat beside me?" Ash had asked, as Dewott looked over to him and nodded with a small smile to his face. Walking over to the table and leaping up onto it where Delia was sitting, Ash placed Dewott's plate next to him, and only once he saw everyone beginning to eat did Ash himself sit down and begin to eat as well.

_**(I'm actually surprised the Hero of Ideals can cook this well!)** _

_((Will you PLEASE refer to him as Ash for once?))_ Regulus yelled at Victini via Aura Speak, as Victini's expression quickly became annoyed.

_**(A lot of spunk coming from a Pokémon with a type disadvantage, eh? Still salty from last night's Smash Bros. match?)** _

"I swear after breakfast, I will take you outside and pummel you underneath several feet of snow!" Regulus shouted at Victini as both of them angrily began eating, all the while Simisear was calm and shrugging as to both of their attitudes, as he had begun eating as well.

With all three Pikachu eating at once, and Unfezant eating calmly, Dewott slowly began to eat as well, all the while Ash was calmly eating as was Delia.

After a while, once everyone was finished eating, everyone had headed outside for various hijinks until later tonight when the party would begin at Ash's house. Since it had snowed an unusually high amount over night, Bianca was nowhere to be seen outside, as was Cheren being absent as well.

_**(Alright, an Aura Sage thinks they're better than me, doesn't he?)** _

"Yes, actually. Do you want anything with that?"

_**(For me to continue boasting about how better I am?)** _

"Sure you can." Regulus replied, before promptly dragon punching Victini into the air and watching as Victini falls and face plants into the snowy ground below. All the while Regulus walked up to him with an armful of snow and proceeded to dump it on the Mythical Pokémon.

Simisear and Dewott couldn't help but snicker at this, all the while the three Pikachu were playing more with each other than with the others. Unfezant, meanwhile, was quick to grab hold of a bucket of snow and fly just above where Ash and Delia were sitting and talking to each other outside.

"Well they seem to be enjoying themselves a lot." Delia said with a chuckle, as Ash smiled warmly and nodded.

Ash was not prepared for what Dewott had in mind next.

As Regulus and Victini were continuing their arguments with each other, Victini incinerated the snow around itself to glare at Regulus, the flames quickly turning cold and non-existent as well.

 _ **(Well clearly the alleged leader of the Pokémon owned by the Hero of Ideals needs to learn their place!)**_ Victini yelled towards Regulus, all the while neither of them were prepared for Unfezant to drop the bucket of snow just between the two of them and Dewott.

"I thought I already told you this; his name, is As-" Just as Regulus was beginning to argue again with Victini, Dewott had used Water Gun on the bucket of snow falling between him and the two more powerful Pokémon, which collided with the snow and froze into a beam of ice and froze both Regulus and Victini solid in ice.

 _((… Did Dewott just teach himself Ice Beam on his own?))_ Regulus spoke to Ash through Aura Speak, as Ash simply laughed.

 _((Looks like it! You're not going to let him simply get away with that lightly, are you?))_ Ash had asked, prompting Victini to thaw both itself and Regulus, all the while the Victory and Aura Pokémon were quick to grab bundles of snow in their hands to go after Dewott with.

_**At Bianca's Household…** _

"Cheren? Could you come into my room for a second?" Bianca had called from upstairs, all the while Don, Felix, and Burgh were downstairs to talking to themselves after Cheren had left to check on Bianca upstairs. The three fathers were quickly changing the subject once they heard Cheren close the upstairs bedroom door and lock it.

"Technically the legality of the subject doesn't matter in a place like Nuvema Town." Felix had brought up, all the while Burgh spoke up next.

"He's not wrong, either; I've heard the legal age of consent is actually more dependent on the city or town in question for all of the known regions of the Pokémon World. Castelia, to my knowledge, is the only city or town in Unova to strictly require an 18+ year age for consent." Burgh told Don.

"And everywhere else 16 is even fair game? I should've prepared for this." Don said, putting his hand to his face to calm his nerves a little, prompting Felix to speak up.

"Well I did give Cheren protection for him to use."

"That's beside the point, Felix!"

"Well since you didn't protest to our son being in a relationship with her…"

"No! It's not that, it's just… Don't you think they should wait til they had a more private moment to themselves?" Don had asked the two dads, as they both sighed.

"Don, you and everyone in this neighborhood know that Bianca's bedroom is the most soundproofed bedroom in the entire neighborhood; we can't hear what's going on up there, and they can't hear what's going on down here." Felix pointed out.

"…"

"Mmm, if they're aware of that they're probably doing it right around now as well." Burgh spoke up.

"…"

"So who told them about how legal age actually worked in Unova?" Felix asked.

"Officer Jenny informed them about it when they were on a tour in Castelia City with Iris."

"Iris?! She's a worse influence than the others are!"

"What because she kisses strangers just to save them from her angry mob of fans?" Burgh asked.

"It's that she- Well actually both THAT, and the fact her team of Dragon Types are a little too close and personal to people due to how she had raised them." Don had finished, all the while the two mothers were quick to pass the three of them bottles of drinks to each of them.

"Angel do we need these at all?" Felix asked to his and Burgh's wife, named Angel, all while Don was equally confused.

"Yeah Sierra do we need to drink this early in the day?" Don had asked his wife, named Sierra, as both of them were quick to notice Cheren carrying Bianca downstairs, though out of view of the fathers for the most part. They could make out that Bianca had Cheren's jacket on, though, and only pajamas covering the rest of her.

"Are you two enjoying yourselves?" Sierra asked Cheren and Bianca.

"If you don't mind may I stay the night? I could really use the company from Bianca."

"My hips hurt…" Bianca said in a quiet, embarrassed tone, all the while the two mothers chuckled to themselves.

"We'll be certain to change the sheets for you two for later." Angel spoke up in a cheerful tone.

The three dads, realizing everything their respective wives had said to their respective kids, quickly took the bottles and opened them to drink immediately without even questioning it any further than this.

_**Later in the day, at Cheren's house…** _

Ash, Cheren, and Bianca were quiet among each other. Their parents were at Bianca's house preparing for tonight's dinner, even after Ash's insistence to help out as well, but was told to relax for once. Even Regulus seemed to agree that Ash needed to relax. As for Regulus and the other Pokémon, they had Ash's house all to themselves.

"So anybody worried about how your own Pokémon as well as our own could potentially wreck your house, Ash?" Cheren asked, all the while Ash kept eyeing the two of them weirdly. Even though it had been a few days since they had gotten together, Cheren and Bianca were… unusually closer together than usual when sitting down.

"… Did you two do anything while at Bianca's house?" Ash had asked the two of them, as Cheren stuttered a bit with trying to think of an answer.

"Well, after we were informed about "certain laws" from Officer Jenny while you were out catching Victini, Cheren and I decided that once we had a bedroom to ourselves to… um… ya know…" Bianca began to explain for Cheren's sake, as Ash was actually surprised.

"Wow… You two actually- Did Don actually allow you to…?" Ash had asked, as Cheren and Bianca both nodded.

"Yeeeah… I did want to ask one other thing, though…" Cheren had brought up, as Ash blinked.

"Yes?"

"Does Bianca and my own auras look… radiant at all?" Cheren asked.

 _((What do they mean by that?))_ Ash had thought to himself in hopes Regulus would hear him.

 _((He's asking if their auras look brighter due to them having done the deed.))_ Regulus chimed in to Ash's thoughts all the way from Ash's house.

"Oh, give me a sec." Ash said, his eyes briefly glowing gold as he closed his eyes to have a look at Cheren and Bianca. Both of their auras were blue, but they seemed to shine with a color more akin to cyan. Brighter, yes, but not to the point where it would be blinding to Ash like those two times earlier the day prior.

"Well, yes, your auras do look radiant I suppose." Ash said, opening his eyes and blinking in surprise to see Cheren and Bianca gone from his view. As Ash's Xtransceiver went off, he got a simple text from Cheren.

"Making sure both Bianca and I are stocked up on protection for when we continue our journey tomorrow." The text had read, as Cheren and Bianca were quickly back downstairs as Ash sighed in relief.

"Here I figured you two were about to do it again while we were waiting on our parents…" Ash had said, as Cheren and Bianca shook their heads.

"We're waiting on tonight at my house before we do it again… but, uh, Cheren?" Bianca had asked, as Cheren looked at her.

"… Y-Yes?"

"When I say "gentle", PLEASE listen next time, alright?"

_**At Bianca's House, during sunset…** _

"Well it sure is nice to have everyone all under one roof again." Delia beamed in happiness, as Burgh sighed.

"At least this year I didn't have to worry about a Groudon on the loose as to why I wasn't here last year..." Burgh said, as Don nodded.

"And at least we can all rest easy knowing the kids are not exactly kids anymore." Don said, as Angel and Sierra looked at each other.

"Does Ash have anybody who interests him by any chance?" Angel asked Delia.

"I don't think so… Ash has been relatively innocent in thinking when compared to Cheren and Bianca as of recent events." Delia said, referring to the latter two's "moment" early this day.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much; they're perfect for each other according to my sight." Regulus spoke up as he was enjoying his meal, along with the rest of the Pokémon in the room.

 _ **(I'm actually surprised the Hero of Id- Ash actually has as much of a group to call family as he does.)**_ Victini spoke up, as Regulus raised an eye at Victini.

"Well he's not a loner ya know." Regulus told Victini dryly.

 _ **(I know but don't Aura Sages tend to not communicate with society at all? Just like your parents, Regu-)**_ Victini was stopped from finishing by an angered Regulus shoving an apple into his mouth out of frustration, all the while the parents were contently eating.

"So Cheren, mind if I ask how you gained access to the Heartsoul techniques?" Delia asked Cheren, as Cheren blinked.

"Um… I… Don't really know how to answer that…" Cheren said, as Bianca giggled a bit.

"If I may, Heartsoul can pass on to another in a similar vein as Pokérus. It's not a harmful effect unless you overuse it, but unlike Aura, it does not rely on hereditary genetics to acquire." Regulus said to the group, as Delia nodded in understanding.

"So do you think Bianca possibly has access to it as well?" Ash had asked, as Regulus nodded.

"A very definite possibility. Whether she'll be able to awaken it remains to be seen." Regulus answered, as Felix sighed.

"Man, I feel stuffed after tonight's meal. How about you guys?" Felix asked, as Don and Burgh nodded.

"We're glad you liked it, everyone!" Delia, Angel, and Sierra all added in, as the group continued to eat whatever food remained.

_**Much later in the night, Ash's house…** _

Ash was in his bedroom after his Pokémon were downstairs; all the while Ash's Pikachu was asleep on his head. Ash, trying to fall asleep, began to see visions of the specter from his earlier dream in sight, but now he was too tired to stop himself from falling asleep again.

_As he feel into slumber, he awoke at the same spot he was at when he was dreaming the night before. Now that he was back here, the sadness he was feeling from last night finally began to sink in again. He wasn't even sure why he couldn't recall this dream from last night during the day either. All he knew was that some specter was watching him in the process._

" _ **Do you have anything you plan on saying once you arrive here, heir?"**_ _The specter asked, as Ash was uncertain what to say._

" _I will have one thing to say, among others…" Ash began to speak. "I'm sorry for not having met you at all, dad…"_

" _I wish to have gotten to know you more in person…"_

**To Be Continued…**


	32. Chapter 31: Entry to Nimbasa City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things begin to change now that the group arrives in Nimbasa City, and that some business is calling out for Regulus to attend to...

While Ash had yet to learn about it, Regulus has his own fair share of personal demons to address in the near future. Specifically a few key facts as to why Regulus is even here with Ash in the first place…

_In Regulus' mind, he could see a small to medium sized village with wooden huts built around tall, evergreen trees. The weather, from what Regulus could tell, was distinctively that of Winter._

_As Regulus walked around in this seemingly unfamiliar setting, he looked around to see if anybody was around._

" _Hello? Is anybody here?" Regulus called out, as Regulus decided that simply seeing with his eyes wouldn't work outright. That decided, he closed his eyes with his dreadlocks raising to have a look around to see if anyone's auras are present._

_What he saw was the slowly approaching, blue aura of another Lucario moving up behind him, as Regulus turned around as his eyes widened._

" _E-Elder…?" Regulus asked, as soon his vision began to clear up as he noticed a variety of various other Lucario and Riolu across this hidden village. Some of the Lucario began staring in Regulus' direction, before proceeding onto their business._

_Some of them were gathering wood, while others were gathering berries. The Riolu, meanwhile, were busy playing with each other. As Regulus looked around, he was surprised by what he was seeing in his sleep._

" _Why am I seeing this? Why now?" Regulus asked himself, all the while the Lucario he had called "Elder" chuckled in an old, female voice._

" _Your mother has been looking everywhere for you, my dear Regulus… She has been wondering why you have yet to settle down within this village." The Elder spoke, as she looked around towards another Lucario of Regulus' own age, but instead of blue, appeared gold in coloration._

_Looking at Regulus, the Shiny Lucario simply scoffed at him before moving to leave._

" _You abandoned us, do you not see?" The Shiny Lucario spoke in a youthful, female voice, as Regulus growled a little looking at her._

" _Hey! I didn't leave for no reason! I left here because I knew Ash would need me! Ash wouldn't awaken his own Aura with a youngling around, so he needed me around to help him get started!" Regulus yelled in frustration, all the while the Elder looked at Regulus sorrowfully._

" _But your age and experience is what is holding the son of Ketchum back, Regulus; he needs to learn how to train his own Aura Partner from the beginning." The Elder spoke, all the while Regulus scoffed and began to look around._

" _And you expect me to just ditch Ash so I could breed with a female in this village? At a time like this? I don't think so. He needs me around whether you fools see it or not!" Regulus began shouting, all the while the young Riolu began to become afraid of Regulus… except for one._

_One of the young Riolu, wearing a black scarf, walked over to Regulus to have a look at him. Regulus, only barely acknowledging this smaller Riolu, soon had his attention caught when it had begun to disappear before him._

" _Please… come home…?" Its voice said, all the while the dust forming the Riolu's scarf moved towards Regulus and the Shiny Lucario. The Shiny Lucario, turning back to face Regulus, seemed rather shocked all of a sudden. Regulus, just as shocked, slowly made a small step towards this female Lucario._

"… _This isn't the present day, is it?" Regulus asked, as the Shiny Lucario and the Elder nodded._

" _Regulus, my dear, sweet Regulus… What you are seeing now is what is to happen once you finally return to our village. You do not need to stress over how the son of Ketchum will fare between now and then." The Elder spoke, only to earn an aggressive snarl from Regulus._

" _Why do you think I'm staying with him thus far? Did none of you notice the incredibly dangerous auras from Team Plasma or even no less than six unidentified auras heading further north?!" Regulus pointed out, all the while Regulus waved his hands to project images of Mewtwo and the five Genesect in his hands._

" _By the time Ash and I arrive in Nimbasa City, these Pokémon will be the first to greet us there among any other threats that lay in wait! So I'm not going to just leave Ash behind until I know he's safe and sound on his own!" Regulus argued, as the Elder soon gestured, in a sorrowful manner, for a younger, yet still old, female Lucario to stand before Regulus._

" _Regulus even I know that would be reckless. I'm your mother for goodness sakes and you never seem to listen when any of us tell you this!" Arcturus spoke up, as Regulus noticed other Lucario forming a circle around him alongside his own mother._

" _If the son of Ketchum is to ever succeed as an Aura Sage, he must train from a fresh slate!"_

"…"

"… _So none of you consider me a fresh slate, is that it?!" Regulus yelled, as Arcturus walked up to Regulus as the latter recoiled back with a punch. Arcturus, being much older and experienced, blocked Regulus' attack with ease, all the while Regulus seemed ready to cry at this point._

" _Do none of you realize the danger Ash is even in?! Do you seriously want a repeat of whatever happened to Sirius?!" Regulus asked, as Arcturus was quick to kick Regulus off of his feet and pin him to the ground with her own foot._

" _Enough! Had you have actually been present in Ash's life while he was still young your argument would've held weight!"_

" _You say that as if sending a newborn Riolu with Ash now would be any different?!" Regulus suddenly yelled, as Arcturus did not even respond to that one, but instead released Regulus from the ground as the Elder approached Regulus as Arcturus walked away._

"… _We will handle it, Regulus… Please do not fret towards your own family this way… We just have to ask of you one thing… Please, come home to us, dear child…" The Elder began to say, as the Riolu with the black scarf soon walked up to Regulus again, hugging Regulus' leg. As a result, Regulus' eyes widened once he had realized just how powerful his soon to be son would actually be._

" _Dad… When your human partner arrives and I am born afterwards…"_

" _I will finish… what you started…"_

As Regulus woke up in the morning at Ash's house, he could already see that Ash had prepared breakfast just like yesterday. Regulus, quietly waking up and preparing to eat his share of food, seemed quiet about what he had seen in his dream. Whereas Ash would've easily forgotten what he would see in his dreams, Regulus knew very well what he had dreamt about.

"Hey, Regulus, you okay?" Ash had asked, setting Regulus' plate of pancakes in front of him as he was doing the same for everyone else at his house.

"… It's a long story… You'll hear it one day, though." Regulus told Ash, actually sounding uncomfortable about bringing it up, as Ash took his word for it from his tone alone.

"Alright. Just try not to scare me like that at times, alright? You've been zoning out a lot as of yesterday." Ash said, beginning to eat his own breakfast after he served everyone else, all the while Delia walked over to Regulus with worry.

"… This is about Arcturus isn't it?" Delia whispered to Regulus, as Regulus nodded.

"Her mother is insisting I return to my home village in Unova and settle down, so that Ash can acquire his own Riolu for him to start off on a fresh slate with. I refuse to do so because I sense Ash is in danger and now thoughts of them are beginning to haunt me." Regulus whispered to Delia, as Delia sighed.

"Well… She was always stubborn like that…" Delia spoke up, as Regulus nodded.

"… It's best we all get a move on, soon; I'm pretty certain I can convince Lugia to give us all a ride to Nimbasa City." Regulus said, as Delia sighed.

"Alright, but we'll need to be careful about how powerful Lugia is in flight."

Later…

Flying above a desert just north of Castelia City, Lugia was in a careful glide as to not cause a lot of hazardous winds from its own wings. With Ash, Cheren, and Bianca on its back, and Regulus closer to Lugia's head, Regulus had a careful look ahead in the sandstorm.

"Alright, slowly begin to descend from here!" Regulus told Lugia, all the while Lugia let out a loud roar before beginning to descend towards Nimbasa City. As Lugia did, though, Ash caught glimpse of a trainer with a bird Pokémon flying beside them; a Pidgeot from the looks of it, with the trainer having orange, fiery hair.

As they had begun to land, Ash, Cheren, and Bianca got off of Lugia's back all the while Regulus jumped down as well. Meanwhile, the trainer with the Pidgeot landed beside them, much to Ash and Bianca's surprise.

"Oh! Hey Misty!" Bianca called, all the while Misty noticed the four of them and was surprised by who she saw among them, all the while Ash was equally surprised, if not more so.

Misty, approaching the group, walked right past Bianca in a slow fashion and straight towards Ash. Ash, surprised by Misty approaching him, began to feel a little unnerved. His own aura begin to ignite around himself, but soon solidifying once Ash regained control, Ash watched as Misty approached him.

When Misty herself began to glow with a gold mixed in with silver colored "aura", Misty simply allowed the flames to settle down upon her skin as her expression didn't change much. Curiosity sprung onto Misty's face as she had approached Ash, and, slowly, she made the same gesture that Ash was too familiar with.

'This is her…' Ash thought to himself, before, carefully, reaching his hand out to touch her own hand. As both of their hands touched, Ash and Misty both began to "transfer" and surge with energy from one another. With Ash and Misty uncertain of how to react, Ash gasping all the while Misty do so as well silently, calmed down once the effects of the energy dissipated entirely.

Bianca and Cheren, meanwhile, were heavily confused by what was going on. Regulus, in response to this, emerged from his Poké Ball and looked at Ash, then at Misty.

… And subsequently was freaked out.

'… _Shit, now I know how my own future son gets his power…'_ Regulus thought, all the while Regulus decided to play dumb for the moment to see how things would play out. Pointing to Misty's bracer on her right wrist, Misty seemed confused about what Regulus was referring to… until deciding to casually float backwards quite a distance from Ash.

Without uttering a sound, Misty sends out her Gyarados right before Ash, which Ash was taken by surprise.

"So… You want to battle her, Regulus?" Ash asked, as Regulus nodded as he gestured towards Ash's necklace, then at a ring-like ornament clamped around Gyarados' crown shining with energy only a Mega Stone could give off. Gyarados, eyeing down at Regulus with a fierce aggression, was suddenly spoken to by Regulus' canine growls and vocals.

Gyarados, calming down and rearing up, all the while Regulus channeled his own aura to strengthen himself, waited upon the commands of their trainers.

"Alright, if you have no problems with this… Er…"

"Her name's Misty. When I met her a few days ago, I was informed she couldn't speak." Bianca told Ash, all the while whispering to Cheren, "… And the fact she was supposed to have left to Kanto by now." Bianca said privately to Cheren, as Cheren did find some of this a little fishy.

As Ash tapped at the Key Stone on his necklace to Mega Evolve Regulus, he noticed that Misty did not do the same. Misty, in comparison, was resting on her knees as she was giving a praying stance towards Gyarados, which caused a surge of energy to emanate from herself and directly towards Gyarados.

With Regulus and Gyarados becoming encompassed by energy, they both emerged as Mega Lucario and Mega Gyarados respectively. Mega Gyarados, sporting gigantic, twin dorsal fins and an enlarged crown and barbells, all the while Regulus sported his enlarged, gold, cape-like fur along his body and reddened and exposed aura veins.

With Regulus ready to attack, and Gyarados just the same, both Ash and Misty made their own gesture to signal them to attack. Gyarados, leaping into the air with a trail of water emanating from himself, was met in the sky above by Regulus suddenly punched upwards at Gyarados as he had leapt into the air.

Gyarados, sent flying into a building by Regulus' attack, was quickly greeted by a flurry of punches from Regulus which caused Gyarados to respond by blasting a fiery burst of flame from his mouth to send Regulus flying towards the ground. Regulus, softening his fall by projecting a sword made of aura, caught the Atrocious Pokémon off guard by Regulus' new weapon.

Misty, still determined to let Gyarados win, unleashed more energy into Mega Gyarados to unleash his full potential at once. Gyarados, filling filled with energy, suddenly felt his mouth surge with an intense energy that even the area around himself could emanate from as well.

Regulus, ditching the aura sword and charging up an intense energy in his own hands all the while unleashing his own inner aura upon himself, crouched on one leg as he fired off a beam of energy towards Gyarados. Gyarados, fully charged, fires back with an equally intense beam of energy from his mouth.

' _I'm going to have a LOT of explaining to do to Ash by midnight…'_ Regulus thought, as when Gyarados' Hyper Beam seemed to overpower Regulus' Aura Storm, Regulus appeared to have vanished entirely from the impact zone as Gyarados' attack finished and Ash, Cheren, and Bianca were surprised to see Regulus not in sight at all.

"Regulus…?" Ash asked, closing his eyes to search the aura for Regulus' aura…

Nothing… except for an Aura Speak line from Regulus.

 _ **((Well, Ash, I hate to leave so abruptly… but…))**_ Regulus began saying, as he was running through the forests just north of Nimbasa City, until he reached a familiar looking entrance in a cave behind a waterfall. As Regulus entered, he didn't notice an old friend watching him go in and then teleport out…

_**((There's something I need to get done before midnight… See you then.))** _

As Misty returned Gyarados to his Poké Ball, Ash thought about it for a moment as to why Regulus would need to leave so suddenly. He already figured Regulus had an actual reason for leaving, and figured Misty interrupted a possible attempt to leave earlier. Even then, though, he couldn't figure out what Regulus had in mind…

… Except for the fact Cheren and Bianca soon walked off together, leaving Ash alone with Misty. Ash, gulping with nervousness as he already knew what they were intending for him, carefully looked over at Misty… who was now standing incredibly close to him to the point Ash recoiled a bit from shyness.

' _Dang it… Can't figure out what to say or do here… I need a dis- Is that N?'_ Ash asked himself mentally, seeing N chasing after a bunch of Team Plasma grunts in the amusement park up ahead. Misty, looking at Ash, gestured towards the amusement park with gleaming eyes.

"D-Do you actually want to go there with me?" Ash asked, pretending to have not noticed N at all for the sake of not worrying Misty. As much as Ash already had a lot of suspicions now, he didn't want N to get in the way of the mood… until N running up to them forced his hand.

"H-Hey… Ash? Got a sec? I want you- Is that your girlfriend?" N tried to ask, as Misty had caught him entirely off guard. Ash, blushing a bit when N made the claim, shook his head no.

"Ah, good. Mind if I take you on the Ferris Wheel at the park?" N asked, all the while Ash nodded and hurried himself in that direction, leaving Misty rather upset that he just left as did N… and then there was what happened next as she was dragged into her own shadow by something…

" **Oh? I didn't expect my other half to be here… How cute… Shall we catch up**?" Aldith's sultry, near demonic tone said as she had begun to laugh maniacally as she dragged Misty into the shadows of where she had once stood.

At the theme park, Ash and N boarded the Ferris Wheel present as Ash was now nervous, due to the fact N's expression of innocence had changed entirely. Now he seemed to all but actually give off a form of malice from his expression…

"Ash Ketchum, as the King of Team Plasma… we need to talk."

**To Be Continued…**


	33. Chapter 32: Paleozoic Psycho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genesect arrives at Nimbasa City, all the while Regulus decides now is the time to begin his plans for the future.

Misty didn't necessarily know how, but she woke up to find herself in the middle of a forest with evergreen trees and huts all across the area. Wasn't Aldith trying to drag her off to somewhere last time, she thought?

"Welcome, human." A voice called out, and as Misty looked towards the owner of said voice, she saw an elderly Lucario and was surprised.

"Now, dearie… Don't be surprised! Your worship of the Original One is already proof enough to you that Pokémon out there can talk." The Elder told Misty, all the while Misty made a gesture asking how exactly she got here.

"Oh? You mean who saved you? It wasn't Arceus?"

"No, that'd be me." Regulus' distinct voice was heard, as he entered the area and took the Elder by surprise.

"… I was thinking you weren't going to show up…"

"I had no further choice in the matter once Misty got herself involved. Stakes were too high by that point." Regulus told the Elder, all the while the Elder tried to ask about how exactly Regulus had saved Misty from Aldith.

"Oh, as for Aldith? I saw her trying to escape not far off from where the village is in the cavernous maze surrounding here. You see…"

_As Regulus began to tell the tale, Regulus recalled how he was still running through said cavern to reach the village. However, he distinctly heard human grunting from not far off, and had assumed a trespasser found their way this far into the cavern._

" _ **Don't fret, Misty… Nobody will know we were here…"**_ _Aldith spoke as she laughed maniacally at Misty's inability to move. Aldith, dropping a syringe to the floor and crushing it, continued to laugh like a madman towards Misty._

_Regulus, seeing the entire scene play out, was uncertain what Aldith even was by this point; by dragging Misty here, Aldith had somehow misplaced her hands and her facial expression became stuck in an unnatural, twisted expression of dementia._

" _ **So, mind if I hear your voice of reason to the two of us? You and I both know that had you stayed around longer, you would've interfered with my… personal plans, for both Ash and N… hehe…"**_ _Aldith spoke, as Regulus was quick to approach the duo._

" _ **Hey, how's it going?"**_ _Regulus casually asked, as Aldith didn't even notice Regulus at all aside from his voice._

" _ **Eh, been better. I should've learned long ago to never try and attack my copy when I'm drugged… Ghetsis tried to drug me, so now I had to drug my copy to try and cure myself."**_

" _ **Neat."**_

" _ **Yeah, and the best part is? She's going to more than likely perish if she doesn't-…"**_ _Aldith suddenly changed to a shocked expression, turning to face Regulus while letting out a hellish shriek towards him._

_Before she could do much, though, Aldith was punched in the face and into the wall, causing her to disappear into the shadows._

" _ **You're lucky I'm not myself at the moment, Regulus! Otherwise I would've succeeded in getting my way!"**_ _Aldith shouted, all the while Regulus mouthed her words before looking towards Misty._

_Misty, shivering and collapsing into Regulus' grasp, had her eyes open the whole time in fright as some kind of drug was taking effect in her system._

"… So then I had brought her here for you to notice and cleanse of the adverse effects of the drug." Regulus finished explaining to the Elder, all the while the Elder nodded.

"So this Aldith you speak of, I'm assuming the natural darkness of the caves is the only way she got in?" The Elder asked.

"Only way possible; those caves are the darkest region in all of Unova for her to try and hide in." Regulus told the Elder, as the Elder sighed.

"At least, I'll give you this much. You had been trying to run away from Sol for so long, it was only natural of me to grant a simple task for you." The Elder spoke, as she was surprised when she heard Regulus chuckling.

"Yeeeah… I'm not running anymore for a reason. I'm sure you're still familiar with the dream you had given me the night before, yes?"

"Yes, dearie, how could I forget?"

"Well, turns out Misty's presence here is both a blessing and a curse for Ash's safety, and as I result I knew I wouldn't be powerful enough to keep Ash safe on my own…" Regulus began, as the Shiny Lucario from his dream had walked into the scene, genuinely surprised to see Regulus here.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure I know somebody who will be able to protect Ash better than I ever could." Regulus finished, as Regulus began to walk towards the female Lucario who had caught his attention.

"Sol? I take it you're still desiring me as your mate?" Regulus asked, as he walked deeper into the forested region of this place. Sol, completely stunned by Regulus' change in behavior, looked over towards the Elder and Misty.

"Is he for real now?" Sol asked, believing Regulus to be taunting her.

"… Do you wish to risk that?" The Elder responded, all the while Sol thought for a moment, before immediately dashing after Regulus.

Misty, standing up and stretching her sore muscles, drew out a Poké Ball for a means to leave here. The Pokémon, a rather regal, purple starfish kind of Pokémon, was quick to circle around Misty and glowing with an intense light. Within seconds, both Misty and her Pokémon had vanished into thin air. The Elder, surprised by how Misty left, noticed that Misty had dropped something.

"Hmm?" The Elder, moving to pick up the phone-like device, noticed it wasn't an Xtransceiver, but it did at least make her wonder how Misty would reacquire this device she had dropped by mistake.

"… This is going to be a lengthy day, waiting for midnight to arise… I wonder what Arcturus is up to?"

_**Back at Nimbasa City…** _

Ash silently stared at N after N had yet to say anything else. He now had confirmation that N was the leader of Team Plasma now that N had outright told him, but he didn't expect N to go quiet.

"… Didn't think this through?"

"Actually, you already know what my stance is. I'm just enjoying the ride while it lasts." N said, as he glared at Ash. "Besides, I've got better things to do than to battle you again." N said, as Ash shrugged.

"Oh well, there goes the innocent lives of the Pokémon you have on your belt. I wonder how they'd react to knowing they were caught and their supposed savior won't release them?"

"You're one to talk for being so protective of that hostile Lucario." N retorted, as the Ferris Wheel came to a stop with N walking out of the car, with Ash quietly following him, only to suddenly freak out as the back of his hair stood up.

"Uh, N, we have a problem!" Ash tried to warn, but N looked back at him with a glare.

"Look, Ash, here is not the place to let these Pokémon back into the wild!" N told Ash, as Ash pointed ahead of where N's body was facing, as N turned around to look forward and gasped in shock.

 **{Hello, father… Room for one more in that car? Or am I already late for the date?}** Geneshine asked, as N looked at Geneshine in horror.

"G-Genesect! H-How… how are you even alive?!" N tried to ask, as Ash looked towards N in shock.

"You mean you know this thing somehow?" Ash had asked, stunned by how N somehow knew about a killer insectoid such as Genesect at all.

 **{Oh, don't worry; he's the one responsible for attempting to have me killed when I was being created by Colress!}** Geneshine yelled, as it let out a dry, monotone chuckle.

"You don't even have a soul! You're not a Pokémon by any means with those robotics in you!" N yelled at Geneshine in an unusually hostile tone, as Geneshine laughed.

 **{Oh, I have a soul alright! Just ask the Aura Sage; he's already fully aware of me and my siblings' auras.}** Geneshine told him, as N looked over at Ash, as Ash silently nodded.

 **{Oh, well… At least I won't give a damn when I snuff out your soul like you tried to with me!}** Geneshine yelled, as it began to charge up energy on the cannon on its back, before Ash was quick to push N out of firing range and just barely avoid getting blasted by Geneshine's cannon. The beam, however, did a good chunk of damage to the lower structure of the Ferris Wheel and surrounding objects.

"… You actually saved me?" N asked of Ash, as Ash nodded.

"King of Team Plasma or not nobody deserves to die in my book!" Ash yelled, all the while carefully picking N up to stand, as Ash called out the first Pokémon he could think of.

"Simisear, let's go!" Ash called, as the Ember Pokémon emerged from his Poké Ball to confront Geneshine, striking a laidback, yet prepared pose towards Geneshine.

 **{Ah, how adorable! A Fire Type thinks they have the advantage against me. Buh buh buh! Ehehehe!}** Geneshine yelled…

… Just as Simisear let loose a fiery punch right to Geneshine's face, shutting the cyborg Pokémon up for a solid few seconds.

 **{… Buh.}** Geneshine said simply, before proceeding to blast Simisear directly with its cannon, and immediately sealing Simisear's fate by leaping forward and impaling him against his clawed foot towards the ground.

However, that did not mean Simisear was going out so easily. Suddenly igniting into flames, Simisear let loose an entire inferno surrounding himself and Geneshine, as Geneshine's mechanical, monotone cries of pain could be heard from within the fiery prison.

As Geneshine jumped backwards, static rising from its own overheated body, Geneshine huffed a bit as it tried to think of a new plan.

"Simisear!" Ash called, running up towards the badly wounded Simisear…

 _ **{And there's my door…}**_ Geneshine thought to itself, before firing a beam of energy from his cannon directly at Simisear with the intent of also hitting Ash. However, before Ash could be struck by the attack, a mysterious Pokémon blockaded the attack against Ash and Simisear.

"…" The Pokémon was silent, all the while Ash looked at the Pokémon in surprise.

"… Regulus?"

"Actually, the name is Arcturus; I'm his mother." Arcturus corrected, all the while Simisear was not moving even though he was shielded from Geneshine's attack. As Geneshine cackled, Arcturus did what she could to check on Simisear's vitals…

… Simisear, looking over towards Ash to give him a thumbs up again, slowly ceased in movement as his eyes closed for what seemed to be for good.

"Simisear…?" Ash tried to say, moving up to Simisear in a bit of fright, all the while Arcturus looked over at N with a hostile expression.

"You! Get the son of Ketchum out of here and leave! If you want to survive you'll do what I say!" Arcturus shouted, as N was frightened by her anger but nevertheless obeyed. Ash, carefully picking up Simisear and leaving with N away from the fight, simply resulted in more cackling from Geneshine.

 **{Oh, how precious! A moving set of targets…}** Geneshine spoke, before Arcturus quickly rushed up to Geneshine as it was charging its own cannon, and forcefully held back the cannon's fire with her own hands.

Geneshine's cannon, overloading on itself and folding back into standby mode, caused Geneshine to immediately jump backwards upon detecting the aura signatures of two of the other Genesect flying in to blast at Arcturus in an attempt to distract her.

"What's the matter, too cowardly to finish the fight?} Arcturus asked, charging a sphere of energy in her left hand all the while Geneshine screeched and began charging an electrical sphere in its own hands in response.

 **{Very much angered how's about a parting gift?!}** Geneshine yelled, sending the volley of electricity towards Arcturus.

"Then maybe you need some sun!" Arcturus yelled, firing the sphere she was charging towards Geneshine, as if burned right through the electrical sphere which Geneshine fired.

The two secondary Genesect, being forced into the way of the attack by Geneshine in an attempt to escape, got caught in the blast and became incinerated by Arcturus' attack. Geneshine, escaping in its UFO-like forme, left Arcturus to deal with finding Ash and N in the midst of this chaos.

Ash and N, eventually finding and meeting up with Cheren and Bianca, were both worn out from running to the Pokémon Center.

"… Did we miss out on something?" Cheren asked, as Ash and N soon began to explain what had happened. Cheren was shocked and horrified by what was revealed, and Bianca was on the verge of tears knowing that the incident cost Simisear his own life.

"… And that is what had happened while we were separated from you two." Ash finished, as N held his head in shame.

"I want us all to be friends… but my own sins from the past are now beginning to come back to haunt me… As the King of Team Plasma, I cannot allow Genesect to harm any of you three." N spoke up, all the while Bianca looked at N with an unusually angered look.

"Then why do you still plan to liberate people from Pokémon?! What do you have to gain from such a thing?!" Bianca yelled at N, all the while N chuckled.

"I intend for Pokémon to gain their freedom and full potential from their liberation from humans. Nothing more, nothing less; only for both humans and Pokémon to be independent of one another." N finished, as Arcturus growled dryly.

"That is the most idiotic plan I've heard coming from any of the teams I've encountered in my youth. So unless you intend for some kind of gain from all of this, you're wasting your time." Arcturus told N, as N simply chuckled.

"But of course, Arcturus; why else do you think I have this?" N asked, showing her and the rest of the group a medium sized, circular stone of white that seemed to burn with power.

'… _The Light Stone…'_ Ash thought to himself, as Cheren and Bianca both were stunned by N's possession of the Light Stone as well. Ash, however, decided to add his own two cents as well.

"True, Reshiram may have chosen you to be the Hero of Truths... But can your desire for reality outrival my own desire for an ideal world?" Ash asked, pulling out the Dark Stone from his bag and taking N by surprise.

"… We all shall see later on, then." N said, before getting up to leave the Pokémon Center and continue on with his own travels. Ash, Cheren, and Bianca, meanwhile, went back to talking to themselves.

"By the way, should we work on finding Elesa to challenge her for our Gym Badge while we're in Nimbasa City?" Bianca asked, as Cheren and Ash nodded.

"You two can work on that today provided Elesa's schedule is free for you two… I just need some time to myself for a while." Ash said, moving towards the room they had rented out in the Pokémon Center to get some proper rest after how harsh things turned today, all the while Bianca and Cheren both left to deal with registering for their Gym Battle with Elesa.

Arcturus, nearly about to leave, decided to instead follow Ash and stay with him to make sure he would still be safe on his own.

"Do not worry, son of Ketchum… your true Aura Partner will be ready for you by midnight. For now, get some sleep in preparation for the training you will begin at our village."

**To Be Continued…**


	34. Chapter 33: Tri Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confusion stirs on N's side and his true loyalties questioned and his beliefs in doubt, Ash and co. mourn the lose of a Pokemon due to the prior encounter with Genesect, and Ash and Misty begin to form a friendly relationship now that they're both used to each other's presence due to their respective abilities no longer interfering. Meanwhile, Cheren notices Ash and Misty possibly developing something further than a mere friendship at the moment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Edit: Okay I don't exactly know why or how, but Word seems to have an issue where it picks up on some of my grammar issues but completely ignore others. Anybody know how to solve this?)

N had left towards a small park towards the east of Nimbasa City, hoping that he could find a good spot to release the Pokémon he had with him.

' _Why do I even have them with me anyways? I should've known better because of Genesect!'_ N thought to himself, before he stopped where he was walking and thought to himself again.

'… _Or maybe doing so was a good thing considering what I had seen of Genesect earlier…'_

N was conflicting with himself as to how exactly to handle this situation, all the while N had seen shadows in the trees above, and wondered something to himself.

' _Why does he never get along with me anymore? Am I not doing the right thing…?'_ N had thought to himself, before carefully grabbing something from his bag; the Light Stone.

… No response…

"Huh… Normally you're far more talkative towards me… Is that supposed to be a sign?" N asked the dormant Legendary Pokémon from within the Light Stone, but again, not a single response came from it.

"…"

Quickly reaching for the Poké Balls he had on hand, specifically the ones that had Pokémon in them, N casually tossed them up into the air and out emerged a group of four Pokémon, all but one was relatively small in size.

"Alright; Sandile, Scraggy, Darumaka, Sigilyph, you all can all leave my side and live on…" N began to say… but soon noticed that the latter three were staring at Sandile in an uncomfortable fashion.

' _I function for the sole purpose of protecting Lord N. I will not leave.'_ Sandile growled towards N, as its vocals sounded… off. A distinct lack of emotion, and generally sounding rather lifeless in tone, Sandile's voice did not sound like that of an ordinary Pokémon. Small vocals could be heard from Scraggy, Darumaka, and Sigilyph, but the latter two shown confusion whereas Sigilyph sounded both confused and… oddly disturbed.

' _Hey… Sandile… I'm not trying to force you to stay… I'm not like the rest…'_ N spoke to Sandile, but Sandile merely rears its head partially up with an odd whirring sound, however faint, being heard.

' _I do not believe that is wise. You feel emotionally distressed by something, do you not?'_ Sandile asked him, as N had thought about it for a moment… thinking of how he had personally thought the situation at Nimbasa City would've played out on the Ferris Wheel.

_In his thoughts, N couldn't quite make out the words that Ash was saying to him; all he could make out was the unusual sadness in Ash's expression. Ash's words were at a blur by this point, but N could see things relatively clearly._

" _Ash… Are you alright? Is something wrong with what I'm saying?!" N tried to ask, grasping hold of Ash's shoulders to keep him stable in movement. Once again, N couldn't understand what Ash was saying…_

… _But his tearing up face seemed to indicate that Ash was very, very upset from what N could see. N didn't know what to do, Ash was beginning to cry, all the while speaking words that N couldn't understand…_

'… Does he…?' _N tried to think, as he looked at the situation with Ash and himself. The way he was holding Ash still, their close proximity… perhaps… N stopped himself at the moment, and shut both himself and Ash up in one foul swoop… by kissing Ash in hopes of calming him down._

_Ash's eyes widened, though N's were closed at this point to notice, leaving him to fail to notice Ash suddenly pushing him away. N's eyes shot open after that, once he noticed Ash was beginning to shout at him. Again, he couldn't understand what Ash was saying… until the last few moments of his rant._

" _YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" "Ash" yelled towards N, all the while a silhouette of a nearly twice as tall, deep black colored Dragon Type Pokémon emerged behind Ash._

" _Z-Zekrom?!" N sputtered, all the while N was taken by surprise as the giant Dragon Pokémon's sudden approach towards him. Zekrom growled with a fierce, deep intensity, before Reshiram stomped a foot in front of N to keep Zekrom away. Standing by N's own side, yet not entirely so, Reshiram seemed to utter the following line…_

" _ **Ash is nobody to fear… But look at what your own allies do, and what they've done, N…"**_ _Reshiram began talking to N, as silhouettes of five different Genesect emerged from behind N, ready to attack._

" _ **Those… monstrous beasts… Did you even remember why they do what they do?"**_

_Quick flashes of the Genesect breaking out of pods in a laboratory were shown to N, and very quickly, various scientists were being fired upon by the Genesect, as N could feel each of their dying pain from the attacks._

" _ **The sins of their actions crawl all over your spine… Because you did not stop their creation from happening like you had thought…"**_

_N could hear himself at this point, but not the self he was thinking; he recalled back to arguments with a man possessing blond hair and a stray, cyan streak hanging loose._

" _Lord N, they will benefit our efforts, I assure you. Besides, aren't they Pokémon just like how Tirtouga and Archen are?"_

" _No… Not with those cybernetics… You gave them those weapons to utilize in destruction, didn't you? I can practically feel how powerful those cannons are so do NOT deny it!"_

"… _It was not my command who issued them to be given this enhanced weaponry, Lord N... Regardless, I will see to it that the program is shut down…" He finished speaking, as he quietly moved away from the vision of N that N himself was watching. With his own vision leaving the room, and the scientists continuing to work behind his back, N did not like what he had to hear…_

" _Do you have any means of keeping him distracted, Sage Ghetsis?" The scientist asked._

" _He's too simpleminded to even attempt to double check. Continue as planned, Colress."_

_N felt rather sick by this point, but he couldn't describe how. Then he realized something about Reshiram's presence…_

_Did he just not register as the actual Hero of Truths to Reshiram at all? Why was Reshiram sounding so hostile towards N? This mere thought prompted some laughter from the Vast White Legendary Pokémon._

" _ **Oh, you think this is the actual Reshiram you're talking to here?"**_

"… _What?"_

" _ **Lay down, Lord N…~"**_ _The deep, intimidating, yet tranquil and focused voice of Reshiram was immediately replaced by the sound of the serene, soothing, alluringly calm tone of Aldith._

_N practically froze where he stood, all the while Aldith attempted to force N onto his back, all the while N struggled to keep himself standing._

" _ **Oh? What's the matter? Did Ghetsis not tell you about what people your own age will go through…?~"**_ _Aldith spoke, her sultry tone evident but failing to catch N's attention aside from dread._

" _S-Stay back… please…" N told her off, all the while Aldith stopped where she was, as her face suddenly blackened in visibility before deforming into glowing, red, prominent jaws and eyes. Her hands deforming into shadowy, sharp claws, as N soon began trying to run from the situation…_

_What he saw next was too horrifying for him to stand, forcing him awake from his thoughts turned nightmare._

As he woke up, he noticed the four Pokémon giving him odd looks. All but Sandile had fallen into a quiet resting state.

' _I still detect that you are emotionally disturbed. You will need somebody to keep you safe.'_ Sandile "spoke" to N, all the while N was breathing heavily as he moved to sit up, only to realize he was still standing altogether.

"Ah, right… silly me…" N thought to himself, as he tried to walk over towards the other three Pokémon.

"You three are no longer required; you're free to go as you please." N told them, as the Scraggy, Darumaka, and Sigilyph, all moved out into the wilds, even though they were all hesitant to do so. Sandile, on the other hand, did not budge from where it stood in the slightest.

N, looking back at Sandile, sighed and began to walk towards it.

"Come on; if you insist on staying by my side, I will not force you to leave if that is what makes you feel safe."

_**Meanwhile…** _

Bianca and Cheren were silent in the room. Even with Misty also here to help, Ash's mood didn't seem to chance much at all. The three could tell that Ash felt rather gloomy at this point, but they didn't know what to say. In Misty's case, though, she simply couldn't…

… So she instead moved to tug at Ash's arm carefully, just to get his attention. Ash, looking away from the small container full of ashes before him in the Pokémon Center Room, turned his attention towards Misty.

"… Arcturus… Do you feel it's alright if she's here?" Ash asked the older Lucario in the room, considering Regulus was still absent.

"She's no threat to you… If she had truly wanted to be, she would've easily done so…" Arcturus told Ash, as she rested on the floor near a window.

"Ash… Do you want me and Cheren to leave the room…?" Bianca asked, as Cheren nodded.

"I think she means if you want our company or not at your time of mourning…" Cheren told Ash, as Ash looked over at Bianca and Cheren.

"I… um…" Ash tried to say, but paused for a moment. "… You all can stay here… I'll need company for something like this…" Ash said, as Misty tugged towards his belt as Ash took the hint and realized his Poké Balls still contained the Pokémon he still had.

Grabbing them and sending out Pikachu, Unfezant, and Dewott. Seeing as he only had three Pokémon to send out made Ash realize how he soon needed to expand his team. Bianca and Cheren, meanwhile, sent out Emboar, Lillipup's final form Stoutland, Whirlipede, Simisage, and Serperior, Liepard, Simipour, and a younger Tranquill respectively. Simisage and Simipour, the evolved forms of Pansage and Panpour respectively, were in shock to see that Simisear was… no longer with them.

"Hey, Misty? Do you want to send out your own Pokémon for this moment?" Bianca asked Misty, as Misty nodded, before grabbing her set of Poké Balls and sending out her Gyarados just outside of the building so that it didn't crowd the room, and then sending out Starmie as well. Gyarados, peeking its massive head through the window, simply let a short growl of concern for Misty, before Misty carefully patted its barbels.

"It comes only in rare, but sad times that a Pokémon's life would meet an end. Most young trainers never have to experience this for themselves right off of the bat… But this was an unlucky case nevertheless…" Arcturus began to speak, as everyone remained quiet.

"For Simisear's demise was caused not by natural events… but rather from another Pokémon which had grievously injured him until his breath grew faint. For as long as a Pokémon such as Genesect exists… I fear that Simisear may not be the only one to die at such a fate." Arcturus finished, as she looked at everyone else in the room.

"I will ensure Simisear has a proper sendoff… not immediately; just when you feel comfortable and won't freak out during the funeral, is that clear, Ash? The rest of you can do what you please, but I would not recommend joining in on the funeral due to the sacred land it'll take place in. The Pokémon there are not very comfortable around humans as it is, so only Ash and one other will be allowed entry. Is that clear?" Arcturus asked, as Ash, Misty, Cheren, and Bianca all nodded.

Misty, looking over at Ash, gently rested a hand on his shoulder, causing Ash to look away from the small box enough to look at Misty's own face. Her eyes, to everyone else, didn't give away much, but to Ash, he could see her own sadness in this whole ordeal.

"So do you want us to go ahead and register for our challenges against Elesa without you, Ash?" Bianca asked, as Ash looked over at Bianca and nodded.

"That would be wise… Right now I'm just going to take Dewott to the courtyard to train with him. I need to keep my thoughts clear so I don't lose control over my aura due to grief." Ash spoke up, as Arcturus' eyes widened a little, but not very noticeable as to how much so.

' _Wow… He actually knew that was the correct thing to do? Regulus actually taught him that much…?'_

'…'

'… _What all did Regulus intend for him to do had it not been for the elder's calling for him, anyways…?'_

Ash, looking over at Misty noticed her expression told him that she didn't feel like leaving his side.

"So, you want to stay by my side as I train?" Ash asked, smiling a little at the thought of Misty actually caring for him in such a way. In a sense, Ash was beginning to feel warmed by her presence now even if he didn't fully grasp it just yet, and Misty's gaze didn't make him nervous as much as it had when they had first met.

Misty, taking Ash's words in, maintained their shared gaze with her own and nodded, looking him carefully in the eye as she did. She could tell that Ash was becoming comfortable around her, to the point of accepting her presence here in this sensitive moment. For that, Misty felt legitimately happy and comfortable knowing these people she could at least trust around here and feel safe around them. Cheren, meanwhile, couldn't help but internally snicker to himself as to what he was seeing from Ash and Misty at the current moment.

' _Well it looks like he's taking a legitimate attraction towards her. I'm actually rather glad time he snapped out of that phase by this point...'_

_**About 20 minutes later…** _

Ash, already charged up in aura output to showcase his trained Aura Mode, stood idly with his arms crossed as Dewott faced towards him. Pikachu and Misty, meanwhile, simply remained on the sidelines with a carton of Pecha Berry flavored sports drinks to help Ash on the spot if need be.

"… Again." Ash spoke up, as Dewott lunged forward and began to strike at Ash with his scalchops, all the while Ash motioned with his arms to begin blocking Dewott's attacks, curling his hands into fists when he had to. Dewott, having been at this for an hour now, was nonetheless determined to actually manage to hit Ash just once during training.

Motioning left, right, and around himself with his blocks, Ash prevents Dewott from actually managing to land a hit on him. It isn't until Dewott finally decides to strike elsewhere does Dewott finally manage to knock Ash backwards, but only by enough before Ash retaliates with a spin kick that ends up hitting Dewott and sending him flying backwards in response.

"… You weren't keeping focus on your own defenses, Dewott. You need to recall that even a friendly opponent can still try and attack during training." Ash said, as Dewott go up from the impact of the aura-boosted attack and moved to charge towards Ash with his scalchops glowing an intense blue.

Misty, watching in awe at Ash's personal training methods for Dewott, looks about ready to move onto the field to break up the fight between the two for them to take a break; Ash was already beginning to look fatigued from utilizing Aura Mode for this long, and his breath had him panting from the energy it took to maintain the form and keep up his guard.

As Dewott and Ash repeated their cycle of attacking and blocking respectively, Dewott consistently kept attacking and attacking in a cycle against Ash again until he was in a vulnerable spot. This time utilizing his increasing abilities from Torrent to move too fast for Ash to block, Dewott manages to hit Ash from behind and knock him onto his knees. Ash, though, was prepared for this, and counterattacked against Dewott with a maneuver in order to turn and reach behind him and land a punch against Dewott's scalchops… causing an unusual effect to occur.

Ash's arm had manifested its own aura to project the hand of a three clawed Pokémon of sorts, and his fist manifested into a sword-like weapon. Dewott's own watery aura from before had returned, and in his place stood a watery projection of his final evolution with the exact same arm and sword-like weapon that Ash's aura had replicated to counterattack with.

Ash, surprised, changes his expression to an approving nod towards Dewott, as Dewott did the same in turn. Powering themselves down to rest, Ash falls to his knees with his arms holding himself up as he pants rather dryly. Misty, walking up towards Ash to sit beside him, hands Ash a bottled drink for him, and then one for Dewott as well. When Ash moved himself to sit, he looked back at Misty with a cheerful, yet exhausted from training, expression which Misty happily returned.

Maintaining eye contact for a while before Ash moved to take a drink from the bottle Misty had handed him, Ash's aura calmed and dissipated once he was beginning to feel relaxed. Dewott's Torrent ability likewise deactivated once he had a drink as well.

Cheren, secretly watching the two as Bianca went into the courtroom to train against another opponent entirely, silently had a laugh to himself to see Ash and Misty's interactions.

' _Looks like things have changed for the reverse here, Ash; you tried to get me to wake up about my true feelings for Bianca, so now…'_

'… _I'm going to get you to achieve something good for yourself about your budding feelings for Misty.'_

**To Be Continued…**


	35. Chapter 34: Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Misty are to themselves as they head out to meet Elesa. Ghetsis, on his end, seems to be beginning to slowly but surely lose it.

After walking on his own through the courtyard to find an opponent to train against, as well as keeping tabs on Ash and Misty, Cheren heard his Xtransceiver go off, causing him to hastily answer it.

"Dads? I wasn't expecting a call from the two of you." Cheren spoke up, as Burgh and Felix sighed.

"Mmm… Well, what can we say; I didn't realize this until two days after the fact." Burgh spoke up, as Felix took over.

"Yeah, well, I would've been keen enough to deliver you medication for your Heartsoul amplification uses had I known how much access to it you had when compared to Bianca or some of the other Gym Leaders like Lenora, Elesa, Skyla, and so on. But that's beside the point, though; you have access to a tier of Heartsoul amplification more comparable to Iris or Drayden I'm afraid." Felix clarified, as Cheren blinked.

"… Go on." Cheren said, simply, due to his minimal knowledge on Heartsoul as it was.

"Mmm, well, technically, it varies based on individual as to how this works, but when utilizing Heartsoul amplification it's kind of a double edged sword with how it works. While it does provide benefits to the Pokémon you're actively using, it also has consequences on the trainer much like how Ash has told me how Aura dehydrates a person." Burgh started.

"Basically, what happens with Heartsoul all depends on the potency of one's abilities; normally, when transferred between trainers, the potency isn't all that large and thus not an issue, much like what I've heard from Bianca regarding this. With you, on the other hand, since you've displayed the ability to use Heartsoul to change the moves and type of a Pokémon entirely, that's where it is going to become problematic." Felix added in, as Cheren nodded.

"Alright, so what do I have to do to ensure it isn't a problem? Plus, what exactly would happen if I didn't do anything about it?"

"Well, as for what you'll be worrying about, basically experiencing blurred vision, numbed senses, and potentially even collapsing to the ground and not waking up for hours to days on end. At your current rate of development, though, I would simply expect a lot of headaches and numbed senses akin to somebody being drunk. The whole passing out bit doesn't happen too often regardless of potency levels, mmm." Burgh elaborated on, as Felix nodded.

"So, basically, take medication akin to painkillers?" Cheren asked, as Felix and Burgh nodded.

"I recommend a check-up from the nurses at the Pokémon Center as for dosage, so do that before you get involved in a battle with another trainer, alright?" Burgh asked, as Cheren nodded.

"Alright, I'll get right to it, anything else?"

"Not that we can think of aside from getting Bianca a check-up as well." Burgh said, as Cheren nodded.

"Alright, I'll grab her attention to get us checked up on." Cheren said, before hanging up as Burgh nodded before the call was cut. Cheren, heading out to where Bianca was standing to the side, kept his gaze held over towards Ash and Misty.

"Hey, Bianca. Burgh called to make sure we got a health checkup because of us having utilized and learned how to tap into Heartsoul Amplification, so we're going to have to delay training for a moment." Cheren told her, as Bianca nodded.

"It's fine. My two challengers couldn't decide on what Pokémon to use at the moment anyways." Bianca said in a mildly annoyed tone, pointing over to a boy and a girl who looked familiar to Cheren; "The Kid" and Giselle, "The Kid" having his Arbok from when he had battled Cheren, and Giselle finally seeming to have her own Pokémon in the form of a medium sized, bipedal Dragon Pokémon with what appeared to be swords for tusks.

"No, no, no! Don't you get it? If you're going to use a Dragon Type like that, I'm going to use a Poison Type to make sure a Fairy doesn't try and screw your own Pokémon over!" The Kid remarked to Giselle.

"Hey! Not my fault your Pokémon is scary beyond all reason!" Giselle told The Kid, as he merely groaned in response to Giselle's fright over his Arbok.

"Yeah well I don't have any Steel Types, sooo…"

While the two were arguing, Cheren couldn't help but snicker to himself as he quietly led Bianca away for a while.

"By the way, before we get our checkup, should we tell Ash to go and meet Elesa considering… Well…" Bianca said, as her face flushed as she didn't want to fully recall how she and Cheren ended up meeting Elesa. Cheren, flushing red entirely, knew full well what Bianca meant and walked over towards Ash and Misty's direction, with Bianca heading to the main counter to get herself and Cheren ready for a checkup.

Ash, noticing Cheren approaching, got made a gesture to have Dewott cease in his attempt to land another strike, as Misty noticed how nervous Cheren was at the moment.

"Hey, Ash, Misty? Perhaps you two might need to go and meet Elesa just to, er, get an idea as to who you'll be expecting for tomorrow's challenge…" Cheren said, as Ash took notice of how red Cheren's face was from the mere topic alone.

"… Okay the fact your face is entirely red means either Bianca said something to embarrass you considering yesterday, or Elesa herself does something that would be considered distracting to some people, yes?" Ash asked, as Cheren nodded.

"I highly recommend you see for yourself before you judge Elesa before you even know her." Cheren said, as Ash looked at Misty, both of them nodding before moving to leave. Cheren sighed in relief as to the fact he didn't need to explain why Elesa would possibly be a problem for both himself and Ash. At least in Ash's case, he could easily ignore a detail like that, but then again…

As Ash and Misty arrived to Elesa's gym, they were quick to notice a sign at the front indicating to them both the gym building that Elesa owned was under renovation, and thus the sign detailed how the gym battles for the next few days would take place at Nimbasa Stadium.

"Huh. This is a first. Then again this is the same area general area in the city that Genesect was rampaging in before Arcturus managed to force him to flee." Ash spoke up, as he looked over at Misty, who was glancing around at how many attractions in the park were under renovation due to safety reasons.

"… Yeeeah… I'm surprised I only just now took notice of this. I was too focused on Simisear to notice how bad Arcturus and Genesect got violent against each other." Ash brought up, as he sighed a bit to himself, as he looked over at Misty again, just to try and remind her how this was where Simisear's final moments were, Misty understood Ash's gaze fully and moved a few steps closer to Ash.

Ash, startled a little by Misty's approach, immediately halted his aura from flaring up as she got into such close proximity.

' _Hold it together, Ash… This isn't anything new to you… Is it…?'_ Ash thought to himself, as Misty soon glanced up to look at his face. Ash looked down at her to try and think of how to respond. She was standing so close to him, and yet Ash didn't necessarily know what to do. Not helping matters is that Ash didn't believe Misty had any ill intent with wanting to stay close to himself, but at the same time, Ash didn't know how to try and respond.

"S-Should we, er… Get to where Elesa probably is?"

"Um… Kid… Don't you see it?" A voice was heard to Ash, thought Ash didn't seem to visibly move to respond to it.

"Um… See what?" Ash asked, before having his head slightly turned to the side to face a tall, slender woman who eyed Ash without so much as changing her expression. After a few seconds of awkward silence from Ash, not helped by the woman's rather showy outfit, she finally spoke up again after giving a brief smile.

"She's being dragged to you like a magnet, silly~!" The woman cheerfully said, giggling a tiny bit as Misty showcased a rather confused expression, before looking back up towards Ash.

"Um, uh… What are you referring to?" _'Did she catch on that quickly?'_ Ash said and then thought to himself. Who was this woman? As the woman straightened her stance a bit and calmed, she began her introduction.

"My name is Elesa, Gym Leader of Nimbasa City. I can see that I might've interrupted something; I apologize for that." Elesa said, before Ash looked back at Misty. Finding himself to busy thinking as to what Elesa had meant, he didn't even seem to realize he was staring at Misty, though she didn't appear to mind.

… Although, when he tried to move to face Elesa again, he had found himself unable to move from his current spot. He didn't notice it himself, but Misty's eyes had blanked in detail to simple, emerald ovals to catch Ash's attention.

In front of him, he saw things he saw Misty's eyes appear to glow, or, at least, shimmer at the very least. What he didn't expect next, though, is what truly surprised him.

_(Hello? Can you finally hear me now?)_

Ash, jumping back in surprise from suddenly being able to hear Misty's "voice", ended up losing track of his balance as Misty tried to stabilize him as he was about to fall. However, since Misty wasn't as heavily built as Ash was, being shorter and not as physically strong as Ash, ending up falling over with Ash onto the ground where she lay dazed a little on top of Ash.

"… Well you two are certainly in synchronization with each other. Speaking of which, was that you I had seen on TV with the Dewott day or two ago?" Elesa made a remark of Ash and Misty, before turning to ask Ash a question. Ash, standing both himself and Misty on the ground while holding onto the latter's hands, looked over at Elesa while Misty blushed.

"At Burgh's gym?" Ash asked to clarify.

"Yeah, that's the one." Elesa answered, before having a good look at Ash. "So, I do hope you're careful with that Aura of yours, since if you try that Rain Dance tactic in my own gym, you're going to have a bad time." Elesa told Ash, as he nodded in response.

"Duly noted. So mind if I ask more about you?" Ash asked.

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"D-Did Cheren seriously bother to warn you about an accident as if that happened all the time?" Elesa asked, as Ash blinked.

"Well, in case you don't know already, my name is Ash, and beside me is Misty of Kanto." Despite Ash introducing himself and Misty as well, Elesa still seemed to be focused on what she had said earlier.

"I mean for crying out loud, why does Skyla so insist that I'm trying to attract attention to myself when the women's restroom didn't give me any privacy?! Plus I had no idea Cheren would simply waltz right into the men's room when I had thought the way in was entirely locked!" Elesa ranted a little, before sighing and calming down. Ash and Misty both remained silent.

"… So… Uh… You're a model from what I've heard from Cheren, right?" Ash asked Elesa, as Elesa nodded once she calmed.

"Yeah, though given his age, I wouldn't be surprised if he-"

"Let's not get to that kind of topic in public, please?" Ash interrupted, pretty much immediately figuring out where Elesa was going from those words.

"Alright, alright… Though, you'll be battling me tomorrow once the matches for the day are ready, yes? Today I'm not scheduled to face anybody, both due to the fact my gym is undergoing renovation since the Lucario you're familiar with got reckless against the strange Pokémon, and the fact tomorrow's matches will begin with you three. Tomorrow our gym battles will take place during a half time show for a football match going on, so that's why getting you three out of the way first is what I intend on doing." Elesa explained, before finally adding in.

"So, which Pokémon do you intend on using against me as your primary battler?" Elesa asked, as she was legitimately curious as to the answer.

"Well, considering Regulus left for someplace else for temporary reasons long before Arcturus arrived for a short while… and the fact I wasn't intending on using Regulus for this battle anyways, and I have only Pokémon at the moment who can do reliable damage to Electric Types otherwise…" Ash went on to say, before drawing a Poké Ball from his belt and letting out a certain Pokémon to showcase Elesa. Misty's eyes widened, as Elesa looked startled by the revelation.

 _ **(Hiya! Am I finally going to be used in a tough battle for once? Oh, I'm sorry, but somebody else already made the arrangement in my place.)**_ Victini spoke up, as Ash blinked a bit all the while Misty and Elesa's expressions didn't change.

"Wait, what do you mean, Victini? Both Dewott and Unfezant are weak to Electric Type moves!" Ash asked, as Victini looked over at him and giggled a bit.

 _ **(Well, silly… Perhaps you need more training with Dewott and a quick flash down memory lane. Remember Chili's fight with Cheren? What his Pidove did?)**_ Victini asked Ash, as Ash finally realized some of the meaning behind Victini's wording.

 _(… Looks like I've got some practicing to do with Dewott about a certain technique, then… Are you certain it will work, though?)_ Ash privately asked Victini in a variation of his Aura Speak that wasn't too overly strong in tone as to alert anybody sensitive to it.

 _(Well, if you put it like that… Let's just say Dewott lost a bet against me last night and has to take my place in the gym battle… That, and, well… Dewott said he'd force himself to take part in the gym battle even if you didn't intend to use him anyways.)_ Victini spoke to Ash through a similarly toned, personal link towards to Ash to prevent Elesa and Misty from hearing it. _**(Besides, wouldn't using a Mythical Pokémon in a packed stadium draw too much attention?)**_

"Good point." Ash answered, before returning Victini to its Poké Ball. Elesa finally spoke up.

"So, you intend to use Victini against me, or…?" Elesa asked, calming down a bit in relief since it didn't look like Ash was going to use such a powerful Pokémon against her.

"Well, actually, I'm using someone else instead." Ash said, before calling Dewott out of his Poké Ball and simply furthering shocking Elesa and Misty with the fact neither were aware of what Ash or Dewott both had in mind to even begin to wonder what made Ash decide to use a Water Type Pokémon in an Electric Type gym battle.

"Besides… we've both had yet to truly finish out training for tomorrow's matches."

_**Meanwhile…** _

"But of course, Aldith… I'm doing just fine…" Ghetsis spoke up, visibly twitching and shaking in place as his eyes were widened due to something. Aldith, meanwhile, blinked in confusion.

"But, Ghetsis, I hadn't even bothered to attack you in your sleep! You're too old for my interests, you know that full well!" Aldith spoke up, as Ghetsis looked over towards Aldith all the while having his left arm hold himself up against a wall, with Ghetsis visibly panting in both exhaustion and frustration.

… Then Aldith noticed the puddles of red growing below Ghetsis' right side underneath his cloak, as Aldith's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Ghetsis with worry, before immediately dialing for somebody within Team Plasma with medical experience. Ghetsis, soon crouching against the wall to try and stabilize himself, took in a sharp breath as he thought to himself.

' _I'm not losing it, I'm not losing it! Sure I've been going back and forth between what my plans are, but my desire for conquest hasn't changed in the slightest! The sages, the shadows, all acting on their own accord against my control! Even N is becoming more difficult to control! My only true ally at this rate seems to be Colress, and even then, it's just… just… Difficult for me to process things in my mind at this point, but I swear to myself, I'm not losing it because of… of… er…'_ Ghetsis was thinking to himself, all the while he heard a monstrous roar in the room behind himself which sounded like three different, reptilian growls all at once.

'… _Let's just say his royal pain needs to learn true lessons of discipline against biting the hand that feeds him…'_

**To Be Continued…**


	36. Chapter 35: Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As night draws near, Regulus brings Ash and Misty to a sacred place he's known about so that Ash can meet his true aura partner for the first time...

Delia was at home, by herself of course, beginning to go to get ready to go to sleep early. It was nearing sunset, but she already felt like it was time for bed. Without Ash at home at all times anymore, Delia had begun to feel old feelings from when Sirius had disappeared begin to return. Feelings from when she had lived by herself with nobody around for comfort.

"I really miss him… I miss both of them… Sirius… Ash… I hope that to learn what happened to you, Sirius…" Delia began to say, as she tried to close her eyes to fall asleep…

Then she heard some pots move in another room towards the front of the house. Immediately waking up to check on what she had heard, Delia walked out to the living room of the house and didn't see anybody…

… But quickly noticed the front door had been opened and closed by something.

"… Alright whoever is there, do not try and run from me!" Delia said, walking outside to check on who would possibly be in her front yard. Walking out to find a tall man in a black cloak with equally dark, spiky hair with signs of gray to them, Delia didn't even know who this stranger was, and was about to shout at this point at him…

… Until a familiar humming coming from the man had caught her completely off guard, with Delia shocked by who this man may possibly be.

She had heard the tune, no question about it; the tune the man is currently humming is the exact same tune she had played on her flute when she became engaged to Sirius many years ago. As the man was watering her garden, he didn't seem to notice Delia standing not far away from him at the moment, so Delia herself made the first move.

"… S-Sirius…?" Delia quietly asked, as the man set down the watering pail. The pail itself began to quietly disappear into thin air, with even "Sirius" himself even seeming to fade from reality.

"Home is comfortable, is it not? I miss the calm, quiet months of us living by ourselves… But…" Sirius began to speak, as his figure began to disappear almost entirely as Delia held her hands to her mouth in shock, with small tears swelling up in her eyes.

"… But I am not allowed to return…"

_**Back at the Nimbasa City Pokémon Center…** _

It was nearing midnight by this point. Both Ash and Misty were awake while Cheren also was as well, but just barely.

"You're absolutely certain you two will be safe out there, right?" Cheren asked Ash and Misty, as they both nodded.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Ash replied, while Misty texted her answer to Cheren's Xtransceiver, causing Cheren to make a shushing motion to Misty.

"Be careful when you do that, Misty! I don't want to wake everyone else up at a time like this!" Cheren whispered, referring to Bianca fast asleep in one of the beds in their room.

"Alright, just try, try not to worry about us too much. You two will be going first in tomorrow's matches with Elesa, so get as much sleep as you can." Ash said, as Cheren nodded.

"I'll see what I can try and do… It just worries me at times when people close to me are going to be away like that…" Cheren said, as he watched as Ash and Misty left the room and began to head outside, as he sighed a little to himself.

Moving to the bed Bianca is in and moving to lay down beside her, Cheren moved to carefully hug Bianca to himself. Bianca, noticing Cheren in her sleep, subconsciously moved the covers over Cheren all the while Cheren blushed. Smiling at her sweetly, Cheren kissed Bianca on the cheek before slowly beginning to fall asleep himself.

_**Outside…** _

Ash and Misty were walking outside to see if they could spot Regulus or Arcturus. As they were searching for either of them, it began to pour slightly onto them. Misty, carefully unfolding an umbrella, moved to open it and hold it above herself and Ash. Realizing Misty wasn't tall enough on her own to properly shield Ash, Ash carefully took her umbrella and held it instead.

"Hey, um… If you're a Water Type specialist, why did you have a Pidgeot with you earlier today?" Ash asked, as Misty shrugged, moving to her non-Xtransceiver type of phone to text message Ash as to why.

[None of my own Water Type Pokémon can fly like that.] Misty answered through text, as Ash looked around a bit for any signs of Regulus and Arcturus. Closing his eyes as the back of his hair stood a little bit as a result, he looked and saw not three signatures of blue aura, but three, all jumping across rooftops before landing in front of Ash and Misty.

"So, my apologies for leaving at an inconvenient time, Ash, I had completely forgot about Genesect by that point." Regulus said, as Ash nodded.

"I can somewhat understand. You were distracted from the day before so your guard was down." Ash said, as Regulus turned his gaze away.

"…"

"He, well, can't seem to admit it when he fails at things…" Sol had brought up, as Ash and Misty were confused by her.

"Um… We've never known you from anywhere… So who are you?" Ash asked, as this particular Lucario didn't answer.

"… Sol, but unlike those two, I was never truly raised by humans…" She answered, as Ash blinked.

 _(Regulus, why is she here?)_ Ash spoke to Regulus, as Regulus didn't answer.

 _(I can hear you, you know…)_ The Shiny Lucario answered Ash, as Ash groaned a bit. He knew that trying to use Aura Speak to get a private conversation with Regulus would've been pointless with Arcturus and this other Lucario being here.

 _(… Regulus…?)_ Ash asked, as he noticed something… off, about how Regulus was acting. Normally he didn't express much emotion, but Regulus seemed… upset about something at the moment.

"… I'm fine, Ash… I'm just trying to prepare for something…" Regulus said, before looking at Arcturus. Ash looked over at Arcturus. Ash's mood slightly dampened a bit when he noticed how off Regulus was acting. Then it made him remember he was carrying Simisear's coffin with him as well, assuming that Regulus was upset because of that.

'… _Right… He's probably blaming himself for that… Is he mad at Arcturus for arriving on the scene too late…?'_ Ash thought, as Arcturus motioned her hand away from the group to ignite a flame of aura to light the way.

"Follow me… Stay close to each other as we proceed." Arcturus responded, as Ash and Misty followed the three Lucario in silence.

By the time they got to the outskirts of Nimbasa City, Ash finally spoke up about Sol.

"So, you were never truly raised by humans, huh?" Ash asked, as Sol took a moment to try and answered, but decided against it.

"Sorry, Ash, but she won't talk easily around your kind…" Arcturus told Ash, as Ash sighed and nodded.

"Alright… I'll just deal with it for when we arrive at this sacred place…" Ash spoke, his tone rather quiet as he looked over at Regulus. Misty carefully took hold of Ash's hand, her body shaking a little as Ash looked over at Misty. She looked at Ash with a very worried expression, though from what Ash could tell, it was due to worry for him instead of herself.

"… Misty?" Ash tried to ask, but Misty didn't text Ash back.

"Ash." Regulus finally spoke up, as Ash looked at Regulus in alert due to the fact this is the first time Regulus spoke up during their walk to the sacred place.

"Do you have anything about Simisear you would like to tell Sol?" Regulus asked, as Arcturus didn't respond, but Sol looked over at Ash with interest now.

"Well, would it bother her if it told her about the time the decision I had made when it came to evolving him?" Ash asked, as Regulus nodded.

"I don't see a problem with it. I was there as well if I recall correctly." Regulus pointed out, as Ash nodded.

"So, basically…"

_The scene Ash had begun to talk about detailed the night and some of the early morning of his training with Regulus about perfecting his own Aura Mode. All of this sounded not that unfamiliar, as Ash had sent out Simisear, then just a Pansear, specifically for this entire session._

" _Alright! You're doing good, Pansear!" Ash called out, as Pansear had already succeeded in hitting Regulus after he had been dodging all of Pansear's attacks up to this point. Regulus, blazing from the fiery attack Pansear had managed to hit him with, stood up and grinned towards Pansear._

" _So, you think you're so clever, huh?" Regulus asked Pansear, as the aura boosted Pansear shook his head much to Regulus' surprise, as Regulus blinked._

" _So, then, what is it you see in yourself? Mind telling Ash through me?" Regulus asked, standing up and causing a small burst of aura around him to free himself of the flames. Pansear, staying silent, simply gave a thumbs up to Regulus._

" _Maintaining a positive outlook, yes?" Ash asked Regulus regarding Pansear, as Regulus nodded._

" _Yeah, perhaps you should keep doing the same." Regulus said, as he looked over at Pansear. "I'm not sure what exactly happened regarding Pansear's origins prior to him and his siblings meeting you at Striaton City, but the two girls were rather weird about it how they handled it." Regulus spoke up, as Ash blinked._

" _So what did happen to Pansear regarding how him and the other two ended up there, using Substitute on themselves since the Kid had them stolen from him by Team Plasma?" Ash asked, as Regulus' expression seemed to change that of a startled confusion when Ash mentioned the Kid for some reason._

"… _Very well do explain what you already knew if you want. If you simply want me to translate Pansear's story, then just give me the signal." Regulus said, as Ash nodded._

" _Go on ahead. We'll have a lot of training to do after this." Ash told Regulus as Regulus blinked and calmed down._

" _Well, it's difficult to explain, and some of this I'm having trouble believing… but you recall how I told you about how Sirius and Delia were aided by Dialga in soothing Lugia's soul? You're familiar with what Dialga's role as a Legendary Pokémon is, right?" Regulus asked, as Ash nodded._

" _Yeah, Dialga is the master of time. Are you trying to say Pansear is…"_

" _From another timeline?"_

"…" _Ash was about to say either the past or future before he was interrupted, but Regulus' answer surprised him._

"… _Why?"_

"… _Because… He saw a strange, purple Pokémon kill you at a city further from here." Regulus said, as Ash was shocked but didn't appear visibly disturbed just yet._

"… _W-W-What…?!" Ash asked, unsure of whether this was actually what Pansear was saying, but when he looked at Pansear, Pansear nodded with a solemn expression._

" _I'm not sure how much of it to believe myself, but from what I can sense, he isn't lying." Regulus said, before adding "He came to this point in time to save you from your future fate. How he intends to do so, I don't know. Even then, I don't know the exact reasoning behind the other two, but Pansear implies something bad happened to Cheren and Bianca as well. Pansear isn't telling me anything other than how they… broke…" Regulus spoke, as Ash looked at Pansear as he held a hand to his forehead._

" _Wow… I'm… Eventually going to need a lot of time to take that in depending on just how true that is…" Ash spoke up, as he looked over at Pansear._

" _I will assure you this, though, Pansear… I will not allow that to happen. I will train with you to ensure you're strong enough to be able to protect me and fulfill the reason you came here in the first place…" Ash told Pansear, all the while he moved to calmly hug Pansear briefly, realizing how it must've hurt to have to explain this._

"… And… That is how I felt after Simisear's death occurred that this was going to affect me a lot in the long run… Why for much of the first half of the day I just sort of… shutdown, when it had occurred and everyone I knew was safe…" Ash finishing explaining to Sol, as Sol looked at him with a shocked gaze, with even Misty shocked to hear about this.

"… I-I… J-Just didn't expect things would end so harshly for Simisear in the end…" Ash also said, as Sol slowly nodded in understanding.

"Well… um… do be careful about who you'll meet in our village, Ash… I do not want them to suffer the same fate later down the road… please…" Sol spoke to him, as Regulus set a hand on Sol's shoulder to try and calm her down. As Arcturus lead the group through a dark maze with only a flame of aura lighting the way, they soon came into view of a forest hidden within a mountain, with flowers and leaves that glowed a bright blue during this time of night.

"We're here…" Arcturus informed them, but instead of dissipating the flame used to guide them, she pushed it outward as it eventually rose up towards the ceiling of the forest within the cavern.

Ash simply paused in speech was he walked forward to have a look at everything. Misty, meanwhile, looked around at the environment with eyes sparkling at how different this place is from the rest of Unova.

"Ash… I'm not sure how to explain this now that you're here, but…" Regulus began to say, his voice breaking a small amount… but Ash didn't appear to notice Regulus' words. From what Regulus could tell, Ash was already sensing something up ahead… practically calling out to him.

 _(Mom? Dad? Where are you? Have you found my partner yet?)_ A voice called out towards Ash, and oddly enough, Arcturus, Regulus, nor Sol could hear it at all like how Ash could. Ash, his eyes closing as his hair stood up, tried to sense where this voice was coming from. Looking around the entire village in the night and noticing the auras of various Lucario and Riolu, all of which appearing blue, the one who was speaking to Ash was in an ovular shape and had a completely gray aura.

 _(Hey… Who are you?)_ Ash spoke through Aura Speak in a very calm, gentle tone, realizing that he was being spoken to by someone who is very young in tone. Walking slowly towards the aura signature as, he only slowed feather when a faint, blue aura slowly began to appear towards Ash but obscuring itself in the process.

' _Wake up, Ketchum. Your father is but a vision, now.'_

Ash didn't listen, not only because of how the voice spoke of Sirius, but also because of how it had worded the insult in question. Making his advances towards the gray aura, Ash didn't realize that neither Arcturus, Regulus, nor Sol were following him. After the obscure, blue aura had disappeared after speaking, it appeared again somewhere else.

' _Is the Creator aware of the fact that you have this high concentration of aura? I know someone who does.'_

"Shut up…"

' _Shut up, me? Is that just because you are holier than everybody else? Do you mean you came to restrain me?'_ The voice questioned again, its aura disappearing from Ash's sight again.

"I do not want to see anybody harmed while I am here, so please, leave this place!" As Ash drew near a small hut with the gray aura within, the obscure aura soon appeared before Ash again, and began to materialize in full.

' _Did you not see it from how Regulus and Sol were behaving? Did nothing from what the girl was trying to say get to you?'_ The voice spoke again, all the while Ash stood where he was and noticed the aura of this Pokémon begin to fully manifest into a taller, quadrupedal form of sorts.

' _I've made a lot of sacrifices as it is, Ketchum. I've made a lot of hard choices. For honor, for the Creator, for the region. Do you know what I've learned, Ketchum? Hard choices and sacrifices do not keep you warm at night. That life is too damn short and too damn long to go through without someone at your side, Ketchum.'_ The voice spoke, as the aura near fully materialized into a physical form.

' _My point is, Ketchum, my companion already gave this test to your friend; do you need it spelled out any further? The girl, the one the Creator knows as Misty, is in love with you!'_ The voice spoke, as Ash opened his eyes to have a look at the mysterious Pokémon that had appeared before him. He looked around and saw only Misty was following him still, meaning Regulus, Arcturus, and Sol were someplace else within this area. The Pokémon, which Ash turned to face, just glared down towards Ash with a sense of nobility to it.

Ash, soon noticing the Pokémon beginning to step towards Misty with a touch of hostility in its aura, stepped in the way of the Pokémon and blocked it off from trying to get too close to Misty. The Pokémon continued to move forward, as Ash stepped backward in defense of Misty until he was just inches away from her. Neither Ash nor Misty could notice it, but both of them were showing shades of red on their faces hidden by the dim lighting of this forest in a cavern.

'…'

"What are you intending on, Cobalion?" Ash asked, already knowing full well what exactly the Iron Will Legendary Pokémon was capable of… and yet Cobalion did nothing further.

'…' Gazing down upon Ash, Cobalion soon motioned into the closest possible to a bowing stance as his body type would allow, his eyes closed as he bowed before Ash.

Ash, taking this as an indication to catch Cobalion, drew out a Poké Ball colored a dark gray with a yellow marking on the top, and tapped the center of it against Cobalion's forehead, before the Poké Ball opened up and proceeded to slowly drag Cobalion into the center and immediately close. As Ash held the Poké Ball in his hand to see what'll happen next, it only shook once before the Poké Ball clicked in a secure, tight shut.

 _(Hello? Who's there?)_ The younger voice called to Ash again, all the while Ash not calmly followed the voice into the small hut, as did Misty. Once Cobalion had been caught by Ash, soon appeared Regulus, Arcturus, and Sol just behind them as if they had been following the two the whole time.

As Ash entered the hut first, Regulus and Sol soon walked in as well, with Arcturus staying by the door while motioning for Misty to stay close to Ash.

Without even prompting Ash forward, Regulus and Sol both sat at the sides of what Ash focused on…

A Pokémon Egg.

"Regulus… Is there any meaning to this?" Ash whispered, as Regulus lowered his head.

"I'll get to that, but first… That Poké Ball on your belt… the one you had used to catch me with… May I see it?" Regulus asked, as Ash looked over at him, uncertain of what he had in mind, but nevertheless handing the Poké Ball used to contain Regulus over towards him.

"Ash… What I have to ask of you will not be easy in your current state of development, nor will it be for myself as well…" Regulus began to say, as the Pokémon Egg, wrapped and covered in black blankets, soon began to glow, signaling it would hatch.

"I was never born or raised with the intent on being anybody's aura partner; Arcturus was born specifically for Sirius, but for who you see in front of you, just moments away from hatching, is who will be born specifically for you, Ash. As much as it pains me to do this, it truly does… but…" Regulus said, the hand holding onto the Poké Ball shaking for a moment. "… I am no longer needed in your journey, for I am currently considered a hindrance to your own development…" Regulus said, finally mustering the will to shatter the Poké Ball that once contained himself for a while under Ash's ownership.

Ash, shocked by what Regulus did, soon had tears form in his eyes. "… R-Regulus…? You're l-leaving…?" Ash asked, as Regulus stayed quiet, trying but failing to hold back tears of his own as well.

"I tried my best… hoping the rules of my people would not force me into leaving you… but now that my son is here… as he put it to me in a vision…"

 _(I will finish… what he started…)_ The young voice popped up again, as Ash drew his attention towards the Pokémon Egg, and from it hatched a small, frail Riolu of a brighter shade of blues and blacks than what Regulus or Arcturus had looked like. Ash, looking around and seeing both the coffin for Simisear gone, as well as the disappearance of Regulus, Arcturus, and Sol as well, soon looked upon the small, helpless Riolu covered heavily in blankets.

Misty, practically feeling how Ash had effectively felt part of himself break at the moment, slowly but quickly towards him and embraced him into a tight hug, all the while Ash didn't hesitate to hug her back.

"I just wish I knew how little of a choice Regulus had in this… I didn't realize how serious this would've been for him… I was so stupi-"

Ash's eyes widened at what had interrupted him this time. Glancing down with his eyes glazed over with mixtures of sadness and a lost sort of feeling, Misty was kissing him full on the lips to shut him up. Ash didn't know how to respond, but when he carefully moved himself to sit down on the floor with Misty, he calmly began to kiss her back as well.

Moments passed and the two would snap out of it, with Ash separating from Misty's grasp only because he knew he had important matters to attend to. Moving himself down to eye level for the small Riolu, Ash didn't know what exactly to say to him yet.

 _(… Are… Are you my aura partner?)_ The Riolu asked Ash, as Ash, realizing ore of what Regulus had meant, nodded to him.

"Yes… I am Ash Ketchum." Ash replied, as the Riolu's eyes widened a little.

 _(… Ash… What is my name, then?)_ The Riolu asked, all the while sounding rather sleepy in tone, before moving closer towards Ash while staying close to the blankets. Ash, normally, didn't nickname any of his Pokémon, but considering Regulus and Arcturus both had nicknames due to his own father, Ash decided to give Riolu a name that would suit him best.

"Your name… hmmm… How does "Altair" sound?" Ash suggested, as the Riolu looked at Ash and slowly began to move to lay down.

 _(Altair… That is a nice name…)_ The Riolu, newly dubbed Altair, answered back, before falling asleep before Ash. Ash, carefully covering Altair up in blankets so he didn't get cold, looked over at Misty.

"I'm not sure what Arcturus has in mind, so I think we'll get some sleep here before heading back in the morning…" Ash told her, as Misty, about to text Ash otherwise, was soon motioned against it give Ash calmly grasping her hand.

"Please… I know you have a Pokémon that can take us back to the Pokémon Center already… but… I feel like leaving so soon wouldn't feel right… It'd feel better if we stayed here for the night… okay?" Ash asked from Misty, as Misty nodded and powered off her Xtransceiver-like device off and moved to lay down within the tent beside where Altair was, as Ash moved to lay beside her, ending up with Altair in-between the two of them.

As the two trainers fell asleep, elsewhere in the village at a high peak with an opening to the surface present, Arcturus stood in a praying stance as Simisear was buried in the ground in front of her. Regulus and Sol, soon appearing beside her, soon stood in a similar stance.

"How well do you think he'll adjust to Altair after having had me for so long?" Regulus asked, as Arcturus silently grumbled a bit in a bit of confusion.

"To be honest, I know neither Altair nor Cobalion will influence his decisions for his next gym battle; Altair is too young, and Cobalion, whatever it's reasoning for appearing to Ash so suddenly, is too powerful. I have a feeling that Altair will, however, allow Ash to concentrate on his and his Pokémon's Aura Modes unlike what we have seen him utilize with you prior. Though, I will not deny one fact about one of Ash's Pokémon, though…" Arcturus began to explain, as Regulus looked at her.

"This is about Dewott, right?" Regulus asked, as Arcturus nodded.

"Indeed… Right now I fear for Ash's physical health if what I predict will happen for tomorrow will turn out to be true… If he is not careful with how he utilizes Aura or the newfound abilities I sense awakening within Dewott…"

"… Then Ash may very well be the cause of his own demise…"

**To Be Continued…**


	37. Chapter 36: Bolt Badge: Rounds 1 and 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheren and Bianca take their first turn at challenging Elesa, all the while Ash lets the feeling of knowing Misty loves him sink in...

Ash was asleep in the hidden village alongside Misty and the newly born Altair, with Ash thinking about things in his sleep. Why exactly did Cobalion offer itself over to Ash to command? Why did Misty grow such an attachment towards Ash as quickly as Cobalion told him about? Did Ash himself feel the same towards Misty? All of those were questions that confused him, causing Ash to slowly stir from his slumber and notice Misty was wide awake, staring at him with an adorable expression.

"… Um… Don't text me just yet; Altair is still asleep." Ash said to Misty, knowing that her attempt to talk to him via texting him did have some problems. Misty, however, grabbed hold of Ash's wrist with his Xtransceiver on it and tried pressing different buttons on it. Confused, Misty didn't seem to find what she was looking for, but Ash seemed to understand.

"Ah, right, turn off the volume, is that right?" Ash asked, as Misty nodded. "… Why didn't I think of that sooner?" Ash asked himself, before proceeding to open a menu on the Xtransceiver's touch screen and turning the volume off through the interface.

"Alright, now you can text me what you were trying to say." Ash told Misty, looking at her face as Misty, quietly, punched in some letters onto her Xtransceiver-like device.

[I'm, uh… sorry about last night… I just wanted to get you to calm down so you didn't scare Altair…] Misty texted Ash, all the while Ash recalled how Misty had kissed him last night and looked at her carefully.

"It's alright… I, er, guess I just sort of have my dad's habit of quickly winding up caring a lot for people I barely know… but… at the same time… I feel like I know you enough to allow you that close to me." Ash told Misty, as he looked over at Misty's Xtransceiver-like device. "By the way, I never did learn what that was called…" Ash brought up, as Misty made a giggling motion.

[It's a Pokégear, silly~.] Misty told him, as Ash chuckled a little.

"Well, um… At least we've finally sorted out one of our problems with communication…" Ash said, as one of Ash's Poké Balls opened up suddenly while Altair was slowly beginning to wake up.

It was Cobalion.

' _Ketchum. You have a challenge that is to be faced today, yes?'_ Cobalion asked, as Ash slowly moved to sit up to look at it and nodded.

'… _Very well. Prepare for an early morning training, then; you will not wish to have breaks by the time you are expected to show up.'_ Cobalion stated, before moving out into the clearing in the village. Despite being in the early morning, and even with a good amount of snow on the ground, none of the Lucario and Riolu normally native to this village appeared to be present. Ash, getting up to look around, quickly realized something before he decided to follow Cobalion.

"Hey, Altair, this may end up hurting, but I need to bind you to one of my Poké Balls." Ash said, grabbing one of his Poké Balls from his bag to officially catch Altair with, but before the Poké Ball responded, it appeared to let out some kind of voice pop up on his Xtransceiver. Ash blinked when he looked upon a small, brunette girl with Fennel arranging things in a hurry right behind her.

"Oh? Is this Ash? I'm surprised we haven't met sooner. Did you only just now end up catching more than six Pokémon at once?" The girl asked, as Ash tried to recall off of the top of his head.

"Let's see… Dewott, Pikachu, Unfezant, Victini, Cobalion, and just now a Riolu. Why? That's a total of six."

"… Oh. What happened to the Lucario registered to you?" The girl asked, before quickly dropping the subject before Ash could answer. "Anyways, my name is Amanita! I'm Fennel's younger sister and the developer for the Pokémon Storage System in Unova."

"Oh, uh… good to meet you…?" Ash said, as he didn't immediately answer back with his own name. "Also, my name is-"

"Ash Ketchum? I've already been fully aware of your exploits by this point. To be fair, I actually wanted to call and checkup you for Professor Juniper, but once Elesa called some of her Gym Leader friends here in Striaton City, Chili wanted to talk to you about something." Amanita told Ash, as Ash raised an eye.

"Does he, now? Is this about the fact I'm going to train Dewott to use a defensive maneuver based off of what he did for his own Pidove?" Ash asked, as Chili soon was brought into the call, panting heavily as his breath appeared spicy hot in appearance.

"Well I don't know how you knew what I was going to bring up, but to be honest, I'm not even sure why Elesa asked me about this in the first place! She keeps thinking I'm the one who came up with it when in reality that was your father who came up with it, not me! I'm just tired of taking the credit for what other people do!" Chili talked with a fast pace, as Dewott emerged from his Poké Ball on Ash's end to look around.

"… Wait, my father actually developed that technique?" Ash asked, as Chili nodded.

"Yeah, he tried to teach me and my siblings how to use it at one point many years ago, but neither of us were able to truly master it." Chili said, before Cilan and Cress soon appeared in the call as Amanita's face visibly drew an increasing shade of red.

"Yeah, I will admit; we'll all considering retiring as Gym Leaders at one point because… well… we believe we're simply not good enough as trainers." Cress added in.

"Yeah, there's really no point in us being Gym Leaders if we can't actually give our challengers a, well, challenge." Cilan added in, as Ash looked over at Cobalion's rather impatient glare from further away behind him, and then back at the call on his Xtransceiver. Misty, meanwhile, patiently looked over Altair while waiting on Ash.

"So, um… what do I need to know about this technique my father had tried to teach you three?"

_**Nimbasa City, slightly less than two hours from before…** _

Cheren and Bianca were in one of the dressing rooms in the stadium where their gym battle against Elesa would take place. Both of them were preparing for their upcoming match by making sure they were dressed formally for it, with Cheren calling somebody on his Xtransceiver.

"Hey, Delia, you already packed Ash's formal attire in his bag, right?" Cheren asked Delia, as Delia nodded.

"Yeah, is this because of the fact Elesa had to change the location of her gym battle with you guys to the stadium?" Delia asked, as Cheren nodded.

"Yeah, but… how did you know that already?" Cheren asked, as Delia didn't even answer; she simply moved her Xtransceiver to where Felix and Don were visible on-screen.

"Nimbasa Emboars!" Don yelled.

"Opelucid Samurotts!" Felix yelled.

"Nimbasa Emboars!"

"Opelucid Samurotts!"

Both of the two adults were arguing over which football teams would win for the past two hours by this point. After these two teams would finish their match against each other, then Cheren, Bianca, and Ash's gym battles with Elesa are scheduled to take place.

"So… Some things never change, don't they?" Cheren sighed, as Bianca walked out from a small room behind Cheren.

"Hey, Cheren? I look okay, right?" Bianca asked, as Cheren quickly looked over towards Bianca and nearly doubled over from how Bianca looked. She was wearing a rather cute looking dress, primarily in colored in red with a ribbon in her hair that was red. From the way the top of her dress was covering her, Cheren nearly panicked at the thought of something until he realized something else.

'Oh, right; she does have bras that don't involve straps over her shoulders… whoops…' Cheren thought, before beginning to say "Y-You look beautiful in that, Bianca…" Cheren complimented, as Bianca moved over towards Cheren. Cheren, in comparison, was wearing a dark green tuxedo with a red tie around his neck. Cheren had completely forgotten Delia was still on the line as he had moved to kiss Bianca as she drew into close proximity.

"TOUCHDOOOWN!" A man yelled from the arena just outside of where Cheren and Bianca were, interrupting their thoughts as Cheren looked back at his Xtransceiver and noticed Delia facepalming at Don's excited behavior and rant towards Felix in the background.

"Um… Uh… Don't mind them… But, uh, is Ash back yet?" Delia asked, as Cheren gulped a bit.

' _I swear if Genesect or Mewtwo caught Ash and Misty off guard I will mur-'_

"Oh hey Cheren, Bianca, did we interrupt with anything?" Ash asked, as he and Misty walked into the room, holding hands all the while Cheren looked over at the two and internally grinned.

"Gee, not willing to take things slow are you, huh?" Cheren and Bianca asked in sync, as Ash and Misty blushed a little.

"Um, it's, uh, not official… yet." Ash said, as Misty nodded her response to Cheren and Bianca.

"Not official? When are you going to decide on that?" Cheren snickered, as he looked over at Dewott standing next to Ash, looking like he was burning with energy. "By the way why do you have Aura surrounding Dewott now?" Cheren asked.

"Had to keep his power restrained; Cobalion told me to keep his power restrained until I found a "true opponent" in its own words." Ash told Cheren and Bianca.

"Well… Seems fair enough." Cheren said.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's time to witness Nimbasa's own Gym Leader, Elesa, live and challenging three new opponents seeking to enter the Pokémon League! First up, we have a fledgling woman with a happy outlook on life; Bianca of Nuvema Town!" The announcer brought up, as Cheren looked over at Bianca.

"That's my cue, wish me luck!" Bianca said, moving to peck Cheren on the cheek, as she walked out onto the stage, Cheren gulping a little from nervousness…

Then a thought suddenly donned upon Cheren as to what Ash had said a moment ago.

"… Wait. Cobalion?!"

_**Bianca's Challenge:** _

"Alright, everyone, welcome our new challenger with applause! She will be in for a treat! The rules as always are simple; three Pokémon for both Gym Leader and Challenger, and when all three on one side faint, the other is declared the winner!" Elesa called out to the many fans looking out towards the arena which began to rise up from the ground, walking out to stand on her end of the large sized arena as Bianca took her stance on her end.

Many fans of Elesa were sitting in the surrounding bleachers in numbers so large that all of the other crowds at previous gym battles looked tiny in comparison. Bianca gulped a little from nervousness from just how many people were surrounding her at the moment. However, she did not let that bug her just yet.

"Alright, first Pokémon for each battlers are…!" The announcer said, as Elesa sent out her first Pokémon, a small, flying squirrel-like Pokémon with large ears. "Emolga for Elesa, and for Bianca…" Bianca responded by sending out one of her Pokémon for the battle, which happened to be a familiar Bug Type Pokémon with a scarred eye from the previous gym battle. "Scolipede!"

"Pokémon, GO!" The announcer cheerfully called out, as Elesa's Emolga took into the air as Scolipede glanced upward towards Emolga, trying not to get blinded by the bright lights of the stadium.

… Which equally posed a problem for Bianca's eyesight as well.

"So, a difficult problem is before you; how do you handle it?" Elesa asked as Bianca gulped a bit.

"Alright, Scolipede! Don't get distracted by Emolga's antics!" Bianca ordered, as the massive Centipede-like Pokémon that is Scolipede immediately began to work on that by using a powerful move to cause the arena to crumple into pieces, but missing Emolga altogether…

… Until Scolipede proceeded to curl up into a ball and began to spin and then rush forward, jumping on the various cracks formed into the air to reach Emolga's altitude, before jumping just above the Sky Squirrel Pokémon and slamming it down into the ground below while utilizing the ruptured fragments of the arena into a large rocks to slam into Emolga on the ground.

As the both of them crashed onto the ground, Scolipede had knocked out Emolga in a single hit from differing types of attacks, as Emolga was knocked out and dazed from Scolipede's attack and was called back to its Poké Ball by Elesa.

"Alright, time for Elesa's Second Pokémon!" The announcer called, all the while Elesa soon opened up with her second Pokémon in the form of a somewhat larger, Spider-like Pokémon covered in fuzz.

"Galvantula!" The Pokémon was introduced as by the announcer, as Galvantula immediately getting crushed by rocks from Scolipede's hostile behavior, as Galvantula, unlike Emolga, actually attempted to put up a fight here by repeatedly firing blasts of electricity towards Scolipede from various directions, as Scolipede grunted in agitation from this.

"Hang in there, Scolipede!" Bianca called, before she could practically feel the sting from Galvantula's eyes were being struck by Galvantula's Electric Type moves, which caught Bianca's attention. "Hey!" Bianca shouted towards Galvantula, slamming her fists together as her hands ignite with a fiery, orange energy which soon began to appear around Scolipede as well.

Scolipede, finally being able to see things in a clear enough fashion to get a hit against Galvantula, finally managed to strike at Galvantula with its large, sturdy horns, sending Galvantula into the air only to soon be struck in the back by an electrical attack in response. Out of the blue, though, Galvantula called itself back to its Poké Ball on Elesa's side, as Elesa's third and final Pokémon was called out early.

"Oh? Did Galvantula's Volt Switch call upon Zebstrika early?" The announcer asked, as Zebstrika was met with a grand applause from the audience, as Scolipede didn't get a chance to even so much as look at Zebstrika before being rammed into by a fiery force of a charge from the Thunderbolt Pokémon. Falling to the ground in a single hit, Scolipede was called back by Bianca.

"So, what will Bianca's next Pokémon be?" The announcer asked, all the while Bianca shifted her gaze onto the field, her expression not a very please one since her eyes had begun to swell up from the bright, flashing lights of the stadium's interior. Bianca, calling out her next Pokémon, sent out Stoutland next.

"Alright, Stoutland! You're up!" Bianca called, as Stoutland appeared much smaller than Zebstrika in this showdown. When Zebstrika reared up and bucked before charging towards Stoutland, Stoutland quickly dug into the ground below to avoid Zebstrika's charge. Zebstrika, however, did not stop moving, knowing that Stoutland would've expected for it to stop moving…

… Unaware that Stoutland had no such plan of waiting for Zebstrika to halt.

Immediately bursting a hole in the ground in front of Zebstrika, Zebstrika bucked and began to retreat in a different direction, before suddenly numerous other holes began to burst open in the ground around it before the entire floor surrounding Zebstrika collapsed as Stoutland proceeded to finish the Thunderbolt Pokémon off from within the larger hole.

Tossing Zebstrika out with a tremendous strength, Stoutland emerged victorious…

… But Galvantula still remained. Elesa, calling back Zebstrika, immediately called out Galvantula again as Galvantula's many eyes focused in on Stoutland, before almost immediately opening up with a powerful bolt of electricity crashing down into Stoutland, and bringing Stoutland down from the fight.

"Wow! It looks like only one Pokémon remains on each side! How will this go?" The announcer asked, as Bianca drew out her third and last intended Pokémon for this match.

"Alright, Emboar! Make this count!" Bianca said, tossing Emboar's Poké Ball out towards the arena as Emboar hadn't even fully emerged yet and was already in the air ready to punch Galvantula's lights out. Galvantula, startled by how quick Emboar was ready to fight, couldn't get out of the way enough for Emboar's fist to make contact and send Galvantula out of the arena.

"RING OUT! It looks like Bianca wins the first challenge for today!" The announcer, and the crowd along with her, cheered in response to Bianca's victory, as Elesa chuckled a bit to herself.

"Well, I guess we can say that Emboar –Sawk–ed Galvantula out of the arena!" Elesa joking stated, as Elesa called back Galvantula from out of the field. Walking out towards Bianca as Bianca did the same towards Elesa, Elesa handed Bianca her 4th Badge for winning the challenge.

"Alright, then, let's see if your boyfriend can fare any better against me, shall we?" Elesa spoke, as Bianca blushed.

"What? You mean you didn't expect me to not notice how obvious it was?"

"Alright, our next challenger is about to be up next! How will he fare compared to Bianca?"

_**Cheren's Challenge:** _

"Try and be careful, alright? These stadium floors may be able to repair themselves due to how they're designed, but try not to be too rough like how Bianca was, alright?" Elesa asked of Cheren.

"I make no promises." Cheren said.

"So our second challenger for the day is a young man from Nuvema Town, a man who is uncertain in his goals but knows who to look forward to in his life. Give it up for Cheren!" The announcer spoke, as the audience applauded for Cheren. Like before, Elesa's first Pokémon turned out to be Emolga, whereas Cheren's first Pokémon turned out to be a different one from his usually expected type of Pokémon.

"Alright! Emolga VS Watchog! This'll be exciting to see play out!" The announcer called, as Emolga made the first move by trying to use the same Electric Type move that Galvantula had used to force a switch, but Watchog seemingly vanished from view upon impact. When Emolga was forcefully switched out, Galvantula took the stage…

… Only to see a small, green plush in the shape of a Dinosaur-like Pokémon.

Confused as to why Watchog vanished, Galvantula walked up to the plush to investigate it…

… And much like with Emboar, Watchog appeared too late for Galvantula to see, and got punched out of the arena with a fiery force from Watchog's fist as Galvantula was taken out almost immediately as a direct result of this.

"… Boy… that escalated quickly…" The announcer spoke up, as Elesa sent out Emolga again, but Emolga didn't fall for the plush trick like Galvantula did and proceeded to immediately strike the plush with a high speed, aerial set of attacks. However, Emolga was too busy attacking the plush until it vanished to notice Watchog standing right behind it. When Emolga slowly panted and looked behind itself to see Watchog's wide, intense eyes looking at it…

… Watchog wasted no time in simply blasting Emolga out of the arena with a powerful beam attack from his eyes.

"Hyper Beam from the eyes… huh… kind of reminds me of someone's Pokémon from Johto." The announcer spoke, as Elesa looked at Cheren with narrow eyes.

"… Is this because of yesterday?" Elesa asked.

"What do you mean? The fact you were changing in the men's room and I just so happened to walk in by chance?" Cheren answered, as Elesa groaned.

"… Just… Just send out Serperior next, I want this to be fair, alright?" Elesa spoke, sending out Zebstrika next, as Cheren snickered a little.

"Alright, alright. I was just wondering how long it would take for you to realize who I am." Cheren spoke up, as he called back Watchog and immediately sent out Serperior, as Elesa moved to send out Zebstrika as one would expect...

"Alright, folks! It looks like the final round for the current challenge! Let's wrap the second challenge up with a fight between Serperior and Zeb-" The announcer called, before noticing Elesa send out a different, Lamprey-like Pokémon instead. "… E-Eelektross…?" The announcer said in confusion, as she was taken about by how Elesa changed which Pokémon would be her last one for the challenge.

"It's only to make things fair; I knew immediately what you'd try and do if I didn't send out Eelektross. Your father has told me a lot about how you won your battle against him, to say the least…" Elesa spoke to Cheren, as Cheren grumbled a bit.

"Well, even so, I'll just hit you with everything I can!" Cheren called out, as his hands began to glow with an orange energy just as Serperior began to prepare herself for battle. Serperior, noticing how large the arena is compared to her previous fights, was too distracted by the open space to notice Eelektross taking the first move.

Exhaling a powerful stream of flames towards Serperior, Serperior quickly moved out of the way in a slithering motion, before the EleFish Pokémon continued to blast flames towards Serperior, before Serperior suddenly made her move by her tail becoming covered in a veil of water and splashing against the flames being thrown her way to block them entirely.

As Eelektross moved in to try and hit her again, but this time with the same attack that Emolga used. Quickly managing to scratch and tear at Serperior's hide, Cheren seemed to react differently from how one would've expected.

"Serperior! Hang in there! Use Leaf Storm, now!" Cheren called, giving out a pained cough as Serperior summoned up a hurricane of leaves to strike at Eelektross, causing the EleFish Pokémon to recoil several times from the impact of the attack, before Serperior once again used Leaf Storm a second time, sending Eelektross closer to the edge of the arena. Eelektross, in one last move, used Flamethrower to strike at Serperior again, but while it managed to strike Serperior, a third and last Leaf Storm from Serperior knocked Eelektross far out of the arena.

"Wow! This looked like a pretty close match! But, ultimately, it looks like Cheren is the winner here!" The announcer spoke, as Cheren walked up to Elesa as Elesa handed him his 4th badge, the audience applauding just like how when Bianca won the battle.

"Next time, actually listen to your father's warnings about Heartsoul amplification, alright?" Elesa told Cheren, as Cheren nodded.

_**A minute before Ash's Challenge…** _

Cheren, heading back to the dressing room, noticed Ash was dressed in a rather silly looking attire compared to what he and Bianca were dressed in.

"Um… Ash?" Cheren asked, as he looked over Ash's clothing. His hat was more like a fedora which maintained the symbol from his normal hat, and his shirt was more akin to a stitched up vest. His shoes and gloves seemed to be very old fashioned, with two spherical crystals embedded on the gloves of Ash's outfit. To top it all off, Ash was wearing a, newly repaired, black cloak alongside the darker shades of blue his other clothing had.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You both need to be careful, though." Ash said, his smile a little too cocky for Ash's usual personality, which Cheren quickly noticed once he saw Misty with the same type of grin.

"… You two are planning something, aren't you?" Cheren asked, as Bianca snickered a bit.

"Weeell… I did say me and Misty are not official…"

"… Yet…" Ash said, as he got a confused look from Cheren.

"By the way, how do you think a fully crowded audience from people from all over Unova are going to handle you? I mean, both me and Bianca used Heartsoul amplification in our battles, but nobody in the audience nor the announcer noticed us." Cheren spoke, as Bianca nodded.

"Yeah, so if anything, they'll more obviously notice you using Aura in your battle if anything else." Bianca said.

"Especially since your wardrobe at the moment looks like an Heirloom from your father based off of what I was told about him by my dad." Cheren said, as Ash shrugged.

"Well, let's just say I wanted to make my presence known, and if anybody thinks that a bad idea, so be it…" Ash began to say.

"… But I believe making my presence known will have at least some form of advantage in the long run…" Ash said, as Cheren and Bianca looked at each other nervously, but reassured each other that Ash had a least some kind of plan in mind.

"But, er, if you two can do me a favor while I'm out, can you try not and spook Altair for when we're out there?" Ash asked, calling Altair out from his Poké Ball as Altair sheepishly hid behind Ash's leg, hiding from Cheren and Bianca rather quickly.

"Hey, Elesa, is our other challenger not ready yet? Everyone is waiting on him!" The announce asked, as Ash looked at Cheren and Bianca with a smile, both of them giving him a nod of approval.

"That's my cue!" Ash said, turning to leave for the arena outside with Altair quickly following him.

"Good luck… you're going to need it." Cheren spoke, as he looked over towards Misty.

"He's using Dewott, isn't he?" Cheren asked, as Misty took a while to try and think, but nodded.

"… Where did you two go last night, anyways?"

**To Be Continued…**


	38. Chapter 37: Bolt Badge: Round 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash had trained for two hours prior; let's see how he showcases what all he and Dewott have learned...

_**Ash's Challenge:** _

Ash had no idea what the audience would think of him here. Every other time he got applause, yes, but now that he was wearing some of his father's old clothes and had a Riolu at his side right now, would he end up reminding the public about who his own father was? Or would they still recognize Ash as being Ash?

"Now then, now that he's finally arrived, let's introduce our third and last challenger! Hailing from Nuvema Town..." The announcer began to introduce Ash, but soon began to stutter once she saw Ash moving up towards his side of the arena, with Altair slowly following him, staying in close range within Ash's cape to hide.

"O-Oh... Oh my... We have a very special challenger here, it seems...! As I was trying to say, hailing from Nuvema Town, this young man has lived a life of safety and reassurance from his family and friends. His father having disappeared before his birth, this new challenger allows his father's legacy to still be known! Introducing, Ash Ketchum!" The announcer finished.

With that, the audience began to applaud for Ash, all the while Ash maintained a chill and cool demeaner to try and not to allow himself to get too distracted by the crowd; he'd need it to allow his Aura Mode to work properly.

"So, Ash, I see you're properly dressed for the occasion! Mind I ask why you decided to dress up like this? Or is it not really that important?" Elesa asked Ash, as Ash simply shrugged.

"Well, let's just say I wanted to test and see if the audience will see me as me, if they'll instead see me as my father." Ash told her, as Elesa blinked.

"So you want to be seen as yourself even while invoking your father's image?" Elesa asked, as Ash nodded.

"Let's just get this battle started with our first Pokémon? I'm only going to be using a single Pokémon for this, just so you're aware." Ash told Elesa, as Elesa nodded.

"… Might I ask why you're going to be using Dewott?" Elesa asked, all the while she sent out Eelektross, while Ash responded by sending out Dewott, but refused to answer Elesa's question… yet.

"You'll see what I mean in a few moments… I've been working on something, you see…" Ash told Elesa, as the announcer was surprised.

"Oh…! Ash sends out a Water Type to an Electric Gym? What is he playing at…?" The announcer asked, before adding "Oh, either way, Pokémon, GO!" The announcer called, as Ash's Aura Mode activated and was solidified around his body immediately upon activation instead of taking a few moments first. As a result, it took even less time to get Dewott charged up with Aura as well.

"Alright, Eelektross, be careful about Dewott!" Elesa ordered, ah the while Ash grinned.

"Sadly he won't get much of a chance; Dewott, brace yourself and use Counter Shield!" Ash ordered, as Dewott grabbed hold of his scalchops and immediately threw them in a circular fashion around himself, while watering currents formed and encircled them.

"Alright, Eelektross! Shock Wave!" Elesa called, as Eelektross grappled hold of the ground and fired an unavoidable blast of electricity towards Dewott…

… Which was completely absorbed and nullified by the encircling scalchops. Dewott, calling them back to his side, braced for his next attack.

"Alright, good shot, Dewott! Let us begin with Mysterious Samurai!" Ash called, as Dewott summoned a jet of water to erupt from underneath Eelektross, forcing the EleFish Pokémon high up into the air as Dewott proceeded to deliver cut after cut with his scalchops. Normally, after nearly a dozen cuts, Dewott would've already appeared to deliver the finishing blow against the target…

… But when Dewott began to appear again, his body began to glow with an intense ferocity as his body changed shape, his scalchops changing in shape into more sword-like variants called "seamitars", before "Dewott" appeared again in plain view as his fully evolved form to deliver tree more slashes to Eelektross, before sending Eelektross plummeting to the ground with one final slash from both seamitars combined.

The audience gasping in surprise, watched as Elesa called back Eelektross and called out her next Pokémon, while the audience remained silent during the next part of the battle.

"Looks like Galvantula is up next… Ash is… startling, to say the least thus far…! Dewott has evolved into Samurott from merely defeating Eelektross! I'm interested to see how this will play out next with Galvantula!" The announcer spoke, as Elesa's Galvantula, immediately knowing it wasn't going to land a hit on Samurott so easily, proceeded to use numerous electrical attacks at once alongside Thunder from above.

Samurott, in response to this, threw aside from his seamitars outwards towards the weaker electrical attacks, using them as lightning rods all the while Samurott looked upwards and proceeded to fire a blast of frigid air turned icy bolt of energy and promptly froze Galvantula's summoned bolt of thunder sold before it could even impact Samurott, and then promptly shattered it into particles that immediately caught the attention of the audience as the applause from the audience began to skyrocket back to normal levels, but now beginning to exceed normal levels at this point.

… Then Samurott's entire body began to become covered in a watery veil as well. Ash, turning his hat around by 180 degrees, motioned his hand forward in a fist.

"Alright, Samurott! Let's show them how strong our bond truly has become! Now, Hydro Cannon!" Ash called out, as Samurott let out a fierce, mighty howl towards Galvantula, before proceeding to be blasted by an extremely potent, powerful jet of water fired from Samurott's mouth, and Galvantula, like his previous two defeats, was sent flying out of the battlefield as a result.

… But Samurott wasn't done just yet.

As Elesa called back Galvantula while Galvantula was still in range, Elesa looked towards Ash with a bit of a smile.

"Excited, aren't we? Got anybody special on mind with this attitude?" Elesa asked.

"Well… Let's just say… there's a certain redhead I want to impress." Ash spoke out, before gesturing his hand out towards Samurott again. Altair, meanwhile, watched with amazement as he saw just how strong Samurott was despite having only just evolved from a Dewott mere moments ago.

(Ash… Will I eventually become that strong as well?) Altair asked, as Ash looked down at Altair and carefully petted him.

(Don't worry, you'll become strong in no time at all once you're grown and healthy enough to begin training proper.) Ash told him, as Ash looked over towards Elesa.

"Alright, my final Pokémon! Manectric!" Elesa called, calling forth a blue and yellow, Wolf-like Pokémon with an intimidating, stoic glance that eyed at Samurott. Samurott, still glowing with an intense watery veil, looked back towards Ash with a nod.

"Mega Evolution! Mega Manectric!" Elesa called, as she tapped a keystone hidden on her headphones, all the while Manectric became encircled in a sphere of energy and transformed into a slightly bulkier, sharper looking version of itself in the form of Mega Manectric, letting out a piercing, echoing howl in the process.

"Oh, wow! Mega Evolution! I wonder if Ash has anything to counter Mega Manectric here…" The announcer spoke as Ash, beginning to feel his heart pumping with adrenaline to where he himself took on a similar watery veil over himself as Samurott, noticed as Samurott began to change in shape in different, sometimes minor ways.

"Alright, Samurott! Let's show them our last big surprise for this fight! Synchronization!"

Samurott, his moustache disappearing and forming again further back on his snout, with his beard growing larger enough to effectively hide all but one part of his lower jaw from plain view, slowly began to grow in size slightly by about a foot taller. His eyes, chest, and tail soon gained markings that resembled the one on Ash's hat, and Samurott's helmet grew both bulkier and spikier in nature. Soon developing stronger back legs and nearly almost entirely standing on two legs, Samurott drew out his transformed seamitars, now called "seamitanas", and held both of them in hand at once all the while the newly transformed Samurott roared over towards Manectric with a fierce ferocity.

Cheren and Bianca, staring agape at Samurott's transformation, tried to scan Samurott in their Pokédex to try and determine what all had changed.

"Warlord-Samurott, the Indomitable Pokémon and the Synchronization Form of Samurott. Adapting into a fierce appearance with enhanced close range weaponry, Warlord-Samurott adapted a Ground Type specifically to deal with its own rivals in a more adept fashion." The Pokédex scanned Samurott, called Warlord-Samurott in this Forme, as Mega Manectric and Warlord-Samurott both roared at each other as the audience began to go into a full blown cheering and applause.

"Now the real battle begins." Ash spoke, as Elesa nodded, before commanding Mega Manectric to attack, Manectric firing a green ball of energy towards Warlord-Samurott, before noticing Warlord-Samurott quickly maneuvering out of the way, and with each repeated attempt to try and strike down Warlord-Samurott, each attack missed all the while Warlord-Samurott faked getting hit once…

… Only to immediately appear directly behind Mega Manectric and knock it into the middle of the arena with a powerful strike from his seamitanas, as Mega Manectric soon managed to finally hit Warlord-Samurott with the attack it was going for. Warlord-Samurott, doubling over in pain but avoiding falling over, looked over towards Ash quickly to see if he was alright.

"Oh! OH! Is Ash alright?! He looks like he was nearly about to collapse after that one!" The announcer asked in shock, as Ash soon stood up and looked over towards Warlord-Samurott.

"It's okay, buddy; keep on at it!" Ash called out, as Warlord-Samurott growled towards Mega Manectric and quickly dodged an incoming attack form it once again and then suddenly struck Mega Manectric with a powerful force of energy that sent him colliding into the ground.

"Now, let's finish this fight, Samurott!" Ash called out, as Warlord-Samurott blasted Mega Manectric into the air with Hydro Cannon, before proceeding to jump up and slice and dice away at Mega Manectric's stamina with Mysterious Samurai, repeatedly striking a Mega Manectric until sending it crashing into the ground.

Mega Manectric, reverting back into a Manectric after all of the intense amount of damage it had suffered, was called back to its Poké Ball by Elesa as Elesa walked up onto the stage to prepare to give Ash his badge.

"Wow, I'm actually legitimately impressed, Ash! I never knew you had so much of your father in you!" Elesa congratulated Ash, as Ash nodded as he walked up towards her with Altair sheepishly following and hiding within Ash's cloak.

"Thanks... But, uh, before we get to you giving me my badge, there's something I want to reveal to everyone on live TV." Ash said, as Elesa blinked, all the while Misty rushed up onto the stage and shocked everyone in the audience.

"Oh?! Is this Misty?! The Water Type Gym Leader of Kanto?! What is she doing here and- Oh my…!" The announcer said, before being interrupted as the audience soon began to go into another burst of an applause towards Ash yet again.

For Ash, upon Misty's approach, was quick to embrace her and kiss her as she did the same in return. Elesa was stunned silent, all the while smiling on the inside for Ash's sake.

Ash and Misty, breaking the kiss after a few moments, smiled at each other, before Ash went to retrieve his 4th badge from Elesa.

"Well done, Ash! Do you have any plans for what you truly want in life?" Elesa asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"To be honest, I don't know exactly what I truly want in life… but…" Ash said, turning around to face Misty again.

"I do want to live much of my life with Misty, here…" Ash said, as he moved to hug Misty, as Misty hugged him back as well.

"Misty, I love you…" Ash spoke, as even though Ash didn't catch what happened next, nor did anyone else…

"I love you too, Ash…"

**To Be Continued…**


	39. Chapter 38: Alola, Unova!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the group, now officially a party of four, prepare to leave Nimbasa City, they end up meeting Alder for the first time alongside three, previously unseen Pokemon to them.

After their battles against Elesa, the group was back in the changing rooms getting dressed back into their usual clothing. Ash and Cheren were in one room, while Bianca and Misty were in the other.

"So, did you feel any pain from when Manectric's Hidden Power struck Samurott at all?" Cheren asked Ash, changing out of his tuxedo as Ash nodded.

"Yeah, I did… It felt like my heart was directly in pain after Samurott had gotten hit with that attack. Why?" Ash asked, as Cheren blinked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure if it's because of the forme that Samurott entered into when he… Er… I'm assuming the Pokédex was correct when it mentioned how Samurott entered a forme called "Warlord-Samurott", yes?" Cheren asked, as Ash shrugged.

"I was away from my Pokédex at the time, so I wouldn't know. Mind giving me the full Pokédex entry on Samurott and the new forme so I can see what all happened?" Ash asked, as Cheren nodded, first bringing up Samurott's Pokédex entry.

"Samurott, the Formidable Pokémon and the Final Form of Oshawott. Part of the armor on its anterior legs becomes a giant sword. Its cry alone is enough to intimidate most enemies." The Pokédex finished, before proceeding to display Warlord-Samurott's entry.

"Warlord-Samurott, the Indomitable Pokémon and the Synchronization Form of Samurott. It possesses twin Seamitanas which are frequently dual wielded as its hind legs have improved to allow for better mobility on two legs than originally capable of prior to achieving this form." The Pokédex finished explaining, as Ash looked at Cheren with a bit of worry.

"Synchronization… So I guess I was speaking more than just what I was told about already by Cobalion." Ash said, as Cheren looked at him seriously.

"Either way, I recommend you be careful every time Samurott utilizes this form; you could very easily end up hurting yourself in the same vein as Samurott gets hurt in a battle." Cheren told Ash, as Ash was finishing up changing back into his normal set of attire before he looked over at Cheren.

"Uh… Cheren… When did you get that scar…?" Ash asked, noticing a long scar on Cheren's back when Cheren had yet to put his normal shirt back on yet.

"Oh? That? Well… I think I might have told you this before, but… Did you ever wonder why I can get so overprotective of you guys?" Cheren asked, as Ash nodded.

"Well, I know you're overprotective of Bianca, but you've only just recently seemed to showcase that towards me as well. Why, what happened to change that?" Ash asked, as Cheren closed his eyes and sighed a little.

"… Let me just say that scar has something to do with it, but I'm not exactly comfortable with explaining such a story just yet, alright?" Cheren spoke up, as Ash nodded, setting a hand on Cheren's shoulder.

"Look, I understand; my mom was always avoiding bringing up whatever happened to Sirius anyways, and even with what I believe may know what had happened, I still have some doubts on it." Ash said, as Cheren looked at him with an understanding nod.

"Alright… We'll just continue on towards Driftveil City from here and go on to earn our 5th Badge… so long as Team Plasma doesn't do anything to interfere again." Cheren mentioned, both him and Ash finished with getting dressed into their usual clothing with their formal clothing packed away.

"By the way, we do have a tent suited for keeping heat trapped inside, yes?" Ash asked, as he was looking at his Xtransceiver for a moment. Cheren, instead of answering outright, simply cursed to himself silently.

"… Best to check and make sure we have everything all prepared for the northern half of the region." Ash spoke up, as Cheren nodded.

In the other room, Bianca was talking to Misty about something that had recently caught her mind.

"Hey, Misty? Have you ever felt pain when utilizing Heartsoul amplification before?" Bianca asked, as Misty took a while to think, before nodding her head in response.

"… Was it any severe at all?" Bianca asked, as Misty shrugged after a moment. From Misty's expression, she seemed uncomfortable with actually bringing the subject up any further than that. Bianca, understanding Misty's expression, simply sighed a bit.

"Well, I'll just have to be certain that both Cheren and I are more careful about it…" Bianca said, before looking over at Misty for a moment once she was done changing back into her normal attire. "By the way, don't you have to be heading back to Kanto soon? You are one of the Gym Leaders there, right?" Bianca asked, as Misty texted her answer to Bianca's Xtransceiver.

[My sisters are covering for me. I'm just grateful they're even in my life at all after what had happened less than a decade ago.] Misty responded, as Bianca took a moment to let that sink in. She didn't feel in any position to ask Misty what had happened, but she was glad that it didn't look like she would be leaving any time soon. She really did seem to legitimately enjoy Ash's company and all.

"Well, er… I will give my thanks to them whenever you actually need to go back, then." Bianca muttered, as she turned away for a moment to hide her rather amused, adoring expression from Misty… although her body language still gave it away unwittingly.

' _Because I'm just eternally grateful for Misty making Ash doing whatever it takes for the other to make each other happy~!'_

_**Nimbasa Pokémon Center…** _

About half an hour later, after some shopping at the Pokémon Center on Ash and Cheren's part to ensure that they'd not only have a tent large enough to include Misty, but also ensure that the tent overall will be warm enough during nights so that Bianca wouldn't freeze to death.

"You're certain you two won't need protection?"

[… Seriously? We're not going to jump at it so soon.]

"Besides, you and Bianca have known each other for years, whereas Misty and I have only known each other for about a day thus far."

"Whatever floats your boat." Cheren said towards Misty and Ash, all the while Bianca walked over towards Cheren with a large, puffy, orange jacket.

"How does this look?" Bianca asked, as Cheren nodded his approval.

"You look fine, but will it keep you warm enough?" Cheren asked.

"I'm certain of it!"

"Very well, so if the four of us are done packing supplies, I guess we can begin to head out towards Driftveil City." Cheren brought up, as Ash nodded, before something finally caught onto Cheren's attention.

"… Might I ask why you're still wearing that cape?" Cheren asked, as Ash shrugged.

"I don't know; Altair feels comfortable knowing he can hide inside of it while walking beside me." Ash said, taking everything they were packing to purchase to get checked out at the register, followed behind by Misty and Altair visible but hidden next to Ash's leg.

 _((So when are we going to begin training? I'm kind of nervous about it…))_ Altair asked, as Ash looked down towards him and gave him a reassuring glance.

 _((Don't worry, we'll get to that once we have some free time to ourselves. Just try not to worry about it just yet; you're still too young to really battle on your own, after all.))_ Ash told Altair.

_**Not long afterwards…** _

As the four began their trek out towards Route 5, Ash and Cheren were walking in the front, with something finally coming to mind for Ash.

"Say, Cheren… You still want to become the Champion, correct?" Ash asked.

"… Yes… Why…?" Cheren answered, as the group soon noticed Elesa rushing up towards them.

"Hey, hold on a sec guys!" Elesa called, as she stopped in front of them, panting a bit as she did. "My bad, I had completely forgotten about the fact drawbridge hasn't been lowered yet because of activity from Team Plasma… I'll need to go up ahead with you four if you want to pass through safely." Elesa told them, before walking with the four up towards where the drawbridge starts.

"This situation with Team Plasma is getting that bad, isn't it?" Bianca muttered, as she looked up ahead and noticed what appeared to be a trailer park and several civilians, consisting of both adults and children, all gathered around a spot in the path for a celebration of sorts.

Elesa, while walking with the four, seemed to want to just pass by them altogether, all the while she heard a rather jolly laugh as she soon stopped dead once she heard the person call for her.

"My dear Elesa, why you're a face I haven't seen in ages now!" A man, possessing a fiery mane of hair, walked over towards the group as both his hair and heavier build made himself apparent among the group. Ash, Bianca, and Cheren turned to face him on cue, but Misty instead turned to face three others that caught her attention instead.

"Um… Elesa… Isn't this Alder?" Cheren asked, as Elesa turned back to face him and nodded.

"Yeah, this is him. I'm actually a little surprised about how you're from Nuvema Town and you know that he is the Unova region's Champion."

"Well, THAT… and something else…" Cheren said, soon turning rather sheepish once Alder looked over towards Bianca. Bianca, though, didn't seem to know who Alder was on a first glance like how Cheren did.

"Um… Do I know you?" Bianca asked, as Alder looked rather shocked and upset.

"My dear, did my youngest son not even tell you at all about who your ole' grandfather is? I could've sworn you would've at least had a vague memory of me from when you were small…" Alder spoke up, as Ash and Misty's eyes widened in surprised, both looking at each other as if trying to sort out how exactly Alder was related to her.

"She gets almost all of her looks from her mom; she looks nothing like her cousin, trust me." Cheren said to Ash and Misty in quiet, noticing their confused looks, as Bianca looked up at Alder with amazement.

"… W-Wow… No wonder everyone kept telling me about how my cousin looks nothing like me when I was younger… So why haven't you come over to visit any recently and- Oh yeah, right..." Bianca said, as she sighed a bit in a small amount of annoyance. "I'm not exactly sure as to why, but my dad never seemed to send out invitations towards you over the many years I've been around." Bianca said, as Alder nodded.

"True, but he isn't wrong as to why; he's a little too… intimidated by my presence, plus because of much of my prior devotion to my role as the Champion, I was not at home as much as I should've been for him." Alder admitted.

"That's something we can both relate to in that case." Ash and Cheren had both brought up, as Alder sighed a bit.

"But, er, might I ask why exactly Misty is with you three? Oh, wait! Ah! I remember now…" Alder brought up, noticing Misty's presence in the group. "It was because you were given a last second message to you from your sisters about how they were taking over for you. Seemed kind of odd as well, it's as if they knew you were going to find a da-"

Alder, at this point, only just recently noticed where Misty's attention was the whole time; to three Pokémon that not only were not native to Unova, but also appeared to be Pokémon that none of the four had ever seen by this point in their journey.

"Ah, but before I ask of anything from you, I kind of forgot to introduce myself, silly me; I am Alder, the current Champion of the Unova Pokémon League, pleased to make your acquaintances." Alder introduced, knowing that of the group Ash probably knew absolutely nothing about him.

"My name is Cheren. With me are Bianca, Misty, and Ash Ketchum." Cheren introduced the group for Alder to know who they were.

"So, might I ask why you're out here instead of actively doing your job as the Champion? As in, why aren't you taking a large part in stopping Team Plasma?" Cheren asked, as Alder looked over at Elesa.

"That is because Alder's job, compared to a Gym Leader, takes only certain issues into priority over others. It is normally the Gym Leaders who deal with local issues like these; Champions would instead tackle more global issues instead." Alder said, although he looked over at Cheren.

"Which reminds me; I've heard some stories from Burgh about what your goals are as a trainer, so was he correct when he said you wanted to become the Champion?" Alder asked Cheren, as Cheren nodded.

"Yes, but I don't see where you're going with this… The strongest trainer is the Champion, is that not the case?" Cheren asked, as Alder chuckled.

"True, but I've had numerous trainers challenge me over the years, some even with what your way of thinking is -not that there's anything wrong with it-, but I do believe there is a reason each of them turned down my offer when it came to becoming the Champion. Do you want to know what most of them had to say?" Alder elaborated on, before asking Cheren what his previous challengers had to say about their reasons for not taking his place. Nodding and staying silent, Cheren looked over towards Ash and Bianca to make sure their attention was on Alder.

"Well, simply put; they just couldn't handle the responsibility that came with the role of a Champion. If one knew what a Champion was to be required to pull off outside of the Pokémon League, well, that would be one thing… but then you end up being defeated by a trainer and offering up your position to them, having to see them turn down the offer. Half of the time, I can't tell if it's because they can't handle the responsibility, or if they're more concerned for their own lives." Alder explained, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca all nodded in understanding.

"Very well, but if I may go on about what I've been up to, that's relatively simple; I'm on a voyage, you see, to help teach people and Pokémon alike how to become closer towards one another. I've helped many people learn to love Pokémon for what they are in a variety of areas, so simply needing to be the strongest trainer is not always what it takes to be a Champion." Alder spoke.

[He's not wrong, either; a trainer my mother had challenged once before actually turned down his seat as Champion over to the Elite Four because of the sheer amount of pressure he had on his back all of a sudden. He's mellowed out in recent years and was even offered the position back, but he's still declined it.] Misty texted the other three at once, before she quietly tugged at Ash's sleeve and pointed to the three Pokémon the three children had with them.

"Now that I think of it, perhaps a quick battle with the children here would detail to you folks some parts of my responsibilities as a Champion. You don't necessarily need to hold back, but I wouldn't battle too harshly, either." Alder asked, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca looked at each other and nodded in response.

"Alright, seems fine with me!" Ash spoke up.

"Same." Cheren and Bianca both mentioned.

"Alright then, Misty, since you seem to have their attention, could you call them over?" Alder asked of Misty, as Misty simply looked back at him with a rather annoyed expression, not so much annoyed as it was her being baffled by Alder forgetting she can't speak.

"… Ah, right, I forgot about that." Alder muttered, before glancing over to the three children with the three, unknown Pokémon they had. "Hey, you three! Come over here for a second!" Alder called in a gentle, yet still loud tone, as the three small children walked up to Ash, Cheren, and Bianca.

Following behind them were three, relatively small Pokémon. One of them appeared to be a Grass Type Pokémon which resembled an Owl, landing on the head of its trainer and then spinning its head to face the other two Pokémon without the rest of its body even budging. The second appeared to be a black and red feline resembling a Tabby, and was relatively calm in movements. The third didn't simply move up to the group; it had jumped, flipped midair, then spins while still in the air before landing effortlessly into the small row made by where the other two Pokémon stood.

"… Wow… These are Pokémon I've legitimately never seen before." Bianca brought up, bringing up her Pokédex and trying to scan the three Pokémon individually for information.

"Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokémon. This Pokémon is able to rotate its head almost 180 degrees, and has excellent night vision. It is also able to fly silently and attack with powerful kicks."

"Litten, the Fire Cat Pokémon. Litten's fur produces flammable oils. This allows it to collect fur while grooming, then use it form fireballs. When this Pokémon begins shedding, it burns all its fur in a blaze."

"Popplio, the Sea Lion Pokémon. Popplio is able to snort bubbles of water from its nose, which it uses as part of its battle strategy, and it can swim at 25 mph. On land, it uses the elasticity of its bubbles to perform acrobatic stunts and jumps."

Once the Pokédex finished scanning all three, Bianca then looked over at Alder.

"What Region are these Pokémon from? They look as if they're not much different from a Starter Pokémon in the traditional sense of the term. I mean, Rowlet is Grass/Flying Type, Litten is Fire Type, and Popplio is Water Type." Bianca asked, as Alder shrugged.

"To be quite frank, I've actually never been to the region where these kids got their Pokémon from. Their mother told me both she and her children moved to Unova just a month ago, and she requested to my help to show them what Unova is like." Alder spoke up, as Alder looked over at Ash, Cheren, and Bianca.

"But if you three have starter Pokémon of your own, perhaps you can utilize each of them in a casual battle against these three youngsters? Just so they can learn what the Starter Pokémon of Unova are like?" Alder asked, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca looked at each other before nodding. Ash sent out his Samurott, Cheren sending out his Serperior, and Bianca sending out her Emboar.

"We're ready when you three are." Ash said, rather calmly, towards the three younger kids. Samurott draw one of his Seamitars out and got into a battle stance towards the overly cheerful Popplio, Serperior looking down towards Rowlet and glaring towards it, all the while Emboar gazed down at Litten and noticed Litten's lack of interest, prompting an aggressive snort from the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon.

"Pokémon, GO!"

**To Be Continued…**


	40. Chapter 39: A Glance Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Misty's dream from the night before did bring a lot of questions, but is Misty all on her own capable of answering them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Edit 6/2/2016: Fixed an issue with Mega Rayquaza's dialogue not being bold, plus added named mentions of Solgaleo and Lunala now that their names and Pokedex categories are publicly revealed.)

When Misty explained some of what had happened that fateful night, she didn't manage to inform Cheren the full story as to what had happened. When Ash had some free time before they departed from Nimbasa City, though, Ash was more than willingly to tell Cheren and Bianca the full story as to not only where they had went last night…

But also what had happened hours earlier in the morning that resulted in them both allowing themselves to be a couple in such a short amount of time. As from what Ash was detailing how the story began, all he could recall was loud, powerful screaming from some inhuman type of voice… and an explosion almost immediately afterwards.

"Heh… ehe… Finally arrived…" Mewtwo choked out, before a bright, powerful flash struck its body as it floated through the fluorescent forest of odd, bizarre foliage unseen in any other part of Unova. As Mewtwo floated on through, the first thing it did was check its own surroundings.

 _((… Heh… Nobody is home… Except for three…))_ Mewtwo spoke through Aura Speak, knowing full well that the other three individuals wouldn't notice itself just yet, as the Genetic Pokémon was quick to navigate the area…

Ash and Misty, alongside the newborn Altair, were still asleep by this point. Ash felt different than he usually did while he was asleep, though.

_In this particular dream, he saw Misty right beside him, dressed up in a fully white, formal dress that could easily be mistaken for a wedding dress. Ash himself, meanwhile, looked at himself in what appeared to be a mirror and noticed not only the height difference between himself and Misty, but also the fact he was dressed in an odd set of clothing compared to his usual attire._

_Dressed in a dark blue with a near black cape, and gloves that seemed to actively give off Ash's aura energies on their own, Ash turned around to try and figure out where exactly he and Misty were._

" _Hey, Misty? Are you actually there?" Ash asked, trying to get Misty's attention, which he did when Misty turned to face him. As she opened her eyes to look at him, she blushed from merely seeing Ash in that outfit he was wearing. Ash, likewise, blushed from her mere reaction, although blushed even further once he realized what she was looking at him like that for._

" _Um, er… You don't look all that bad yourself either, Misty…" Ash began to say, as Misty blushed and nodded, before looking around to try and figure out where they were. Once she realized the rather heavenly appearance to the area they're in, Misty pulled out what, at first glance, would appear to be some piece of dried up, azure colored coral._

… _Until she began to blow into it and play it as though it were a flute of sorts._

_Almost immediately as she had begun to play, every shred of background noise was immediately silenced as to allow the strange, ominous sound of the flute to play. When Misty finished, the area in front of Ash and Misty appeared to glow as a very, very large staircase made out of what appeared to be glass made itself visible to the two of them._

"… _Wow…" Ash spoke up briefly, all the while Misty held out her hand for Ash to take, as Ash looked at Misty in a rather confused bit. "… What? We're going up?" Ash asked, as what Misty did next took him by surprise._

" _When we'll wake up, we'll have only been asleep for several hours. While we're still here, however, it'll feel like we've been here for much, much longer than that." Misty "spoke" as her mouth didn't seem to actively move when she said that, but Ash was nevertheless surprised by her action._

_Taking her hand and walking up the staircase with her, Ash looked around and noticed how many different Flying Type Pokémon were beginning to show themselves around the staircase. Ash didn't bother to look behind himself, nor did Misty, but as they walked up further and further, the staircase behind them slowly disappeared with each step higher they took._

" _So, where is this…?" Ash asked, as Ash heard a faint voice call out towards him and Misty._

' _Human… Do you not realize why you are here? What your legacy means, Ketchum?' The voice came from what appeared to be Lugia flying not far away from the staircase, but Ash didn't let himself lose his composure as he continued to walk up the steps, hand in hand with Misty. Keeping Misty within viewing range, he could see another, rainbow colored avian Pokémon not far from where Lugia was flying._

' _Human… Do you not realize how eternally grateful we are for your presence, here? I admit, though… we did not want to bring you here so soon, since we knew that while it would be a small time outside, it would be several months' worth of time within here.' The Rainbow Pokémon spoke, before slowly disappearing below the clouds alongside Lugia._

_As Ash and Misty continued their walk, higher and higher into this unknown sky, a massive, green serpent that lacked any visible wings flew up towards Ash and Misty. Its eyes closed the whole time, the large sized Pokémon slowly began to speak as well._

' _At the top floor, you will be greeted by the Alpha. Its voice may intimidate you, or it may not. It all depends…' The Pokémon spoke, before proceeding to allow itself to undergo Mega Evolution, a cocoon of energy encircling itself before bursting out and emerging in a new form. A DNA Helix briefly appearing above its forehead, parts of the Pokémon's body looked as if they peeled off and became large, lengthy, golden ribbons encircling its body._

' _ **It depends, on whether or not you are afraid to be spending so much time together, like your parents beforehand, Ketchum…'**_ _The Pokémon finished, as Ash looked over at Misty as Misty looked back to him as well. Neither of the two said anything, but nodded to each other reassuringly._

**'** _**Very well… The Aspects of Sun and Moon have a few words for you… Proceed…'** The Pokémon finished, before descending into the visible atmosphere layer below, as the sky above began to showcase almost entirely stars, a brief glimpse at the Sun and the Moon, before appearing in their place in Ash and Misty's lengthy walk into the sky appeared what appeared to be a white and gold Lion alongside a white and gold Bat, both given colors to reflect the soon surrounding space of the upper atmosphere of where they were located._

' _Humans… We used to not know much about our mere names, Solgaleo and Lunala, but now we know the truth… The others before you; Lugia, Ho-Oh, Rayquaza. Then the ones after us; Dialga, Palkia, and the Alpha. They may know much, much more as to who we are, but we are unknown to you by this point not as different as how they would be as well. By approaching us, you have accepted the fact that you both are brave by venturing into the unknown. Proceed to the Deities of Time and Space, if you so wish, and they will be the final guardians you meet before the Alpha Itself.' The Sunne and Moone Pokémon both spoke in unison, referring to themselves as Solgaleo and Lunala respectively, as their faces lit up to show solar and lunar markings in their visors-like faces._

_Ash and Misty, though, both remained quiet. Ash and Misty continued their walk to the top of this giant staircase, all the while the white and gold Legendary Pokémon duo they had walked past had disappeared from view. Now in view of Ash and Misty was the vast expanse of Space and Time itself, including the living embodiments of them both soon appearing before them in the form of a giant, Sauropod-like Pokémon with a diamond on its chest, and another, more Theropod-like Pokémon with massive arms, and pearls on its shoulders._

' _Humans, heed our call and listen well. We are the final guardians before the Alpha Itself appears before you. While you continue your walk with each other, we would like for you both to open your eyes… and both of you to tell us what you see in your gaze…' Dialga and Palkia both spoke, as Ash and Misty proceeded to open their eyes and have a look as to what they were talking about._

_When Ash looked around, he was shocked by the view of a very young Misty alongside her mother and her older sisters. Her mother, oddly enough, looked a lot like Misty herself did, except looker a tad bit feistier in her outer expressions. The image soon changed to Misty's older sisters sadly looking out towards the expanse of the sea, watching helplessly while carrying the near six year old Misty as they watched a massive, Whale-like Pokémon battle against a large, infernal Dinosaur-like Pokémon, with Rayquaza appearing above in the air to attempt to stop the fight. Not far off, though, the sign of a sinking boat was seen… but Misty's mother was nowhere in sight in all of this. As the image gradually changed to show how Misty grew up, Ash often saw Misty alone and not spending time with anyone else, and then saw a moment where she and somebody else had met Bianca some time ago._

_When Misty looked around on her end, she noticed how excited of a child Ash was around his lone mother, even though Delia often had a rather sad look to her face. Misty could often see a portrait of Delia and her missing husband after the two had just been married, but not a sign of whether Delia was carrying Ash at the time or if Ash was even born yet existed in any of the old photos. As the image changed to show Ash as a ten year old, she could hear Ash arguing with Delia about the idea of becoming a Pokémon Trainer alongside Cheren and Bianca. However, Delia kept trying to talk Ash out of it, and each time Misty saw this occur, the talk succeeded up until Ash had turned sixteen and was allowed to finally venture out with Cheren and Bianca. As Misty had watched further, she had seen just how strong of a trainer Ash was becoming over time through his mastery of Aura alone, but also how much his friends benefitted him without him realizing how important it was for him._

_As Ash and Misty's gaze returned to normal, Dialga and Palkia were still sight as they had both continued their walk up the staircase. Ash, looking over towards Misty as Misty did the same, both looked at each other expectantly towards the other. Ash, though, made the first move which having his hands fingers intertwine with those of Misty's hand. All the while Misty blushed but smiled, as Ash nervously smiled towards her all the same._

' _Your gaze into each other's past… You feel like you didn't spend very long looking into each other's soul, but for as long as you did, you feel as if you had spent several months if not years of having known each other. Do you not?' Dialga asked, as Ash and Misty took a few seconds to answer._

" _I feel like I've known her for longer than a day like outside of this dream alright, but might I ask; just how did we get to know each other so fast in such a short amount of time by this dream alone?" Ash asked, as Misty silently nodded. Ash was about to ask why Misty spoke earlier, but thought that asking now wasn't the best time; Ash could feel an insanely powerful presence up ahead._

_Dialga and Palkia already vanished by that point, though, and the area surrounding area appeared to be lit by only other galaxies of varying shapes and sizes, with the staircase soon ending and Ash and Misty walking up towards the plane that had eagerly been awaiting them. As Ash and Misty looked up ahead, they could see the vague shape of a Pokémon emerging from a vortex behind and floating into view to greet Ash and Misty. Summoning forth 17, medium sized objects encircling Itself, the Pokémon slowly opened Its eyes towards Ash and Misty._

" _ **Welcome, Ash and Misty, to the Hall of Origin."**_ _Arceus spoke, as Ash didn't loosen his grip on Misty's hand at all when he looked up at the towering Mythical Pokémon in front of them. Misty looked up as well, but she was relatively calm compared to Ash._

_**"** **She already knows why you two are here… Perhaps I shall fill you in?"** Arceus asked Ash, as Ash looked up at Arceus and nodded. _ _** "Very well. I shall proceed." ** _ _Arceus spoke up, before going quiet for a moment or so._

" _ **Approximately six years ago, Misty had taped into my power to acquire further knowledge on how Heartsoul Amplification worked. Foreseeing your own arrival here due to Misty's own endeavors, I only saw it fit to give you the same power amplification I had with her. Is that alright?"**_ _Arceus asked, as Ash looked up at Arceus and nodded._

" _ **If you so believe I should have that power, then I will not argue against it."**_ _Ash spoke up, as Arceus chuckled slightly._

" _ **Very well… But when you two finally awaken, your memory of this dream will become very fuzzy at worst. You won't recall immediately what had happened here, if primarily because I desire that this location to stay secret from a majority of the mortals in your world. When you awaken, though, you may not immediately realize it…"**_ _Arceus began to speak, all the while Ash and Misty's vision suddenly filled entirely with white._

" _ **But you two will wake up having known each other for much longer than a mere day's time…"**_

_**One hour after waking up later…** _

As Ash and Dewott were finishing up another round of early morning training, Ash nearly fell onto his back as he felt his body numb a little bit after a while. Dewott, looking over towards Ash in confusion, noticed as Misty carefully moved to help Ash stand up on his feet again.

"I-I'm alright, Misty… Seriously, if it was that bad I wouldn't have pushed myself that far… well… unless…" Ash began to say, before stopping himself as Misty blinked in confusion. Misty, meanwhile, seemed genuinely intrigued by what Ash was about to say, since she didn't know what this exception would've been.

Watching as Ash slowly moved to stand and look at her, Misty maintained eye contact as she was curious to know what Ash was implying. Ash, noticing Misty's expression change to one of worry, carefully set a hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her and to calm himself down as well. Instead, though, all it did was make Misty's eyes widen a little, as she quickly moved to grab her Pokégear and ask Ash something.

[… You've been holding back this whole time, haven't you?] Misty texted to Ash's Xtransceiver, as Ash blinked in confusion.

"… Wha… What do you mean, Misty?" Ash asked, as Misty pointed to Ash to refer to his Aura Mode he had still activated from his training with Dewott.

[You're holding back on your Aura Mode. That look you have at times when you use it; it feels like you're being restrained by something…] Misty answered, looking rather worried.

"… I'm holding back? How? I don't see how Aura Mode has any further progression than this…" Ash spoke, as Altair was up and about and moving, as were Ash's other Pokémon. Pikachu, Unfezant, Cobalion, and Victini were also out of their Poké Balls, enjoying the relative quietness of the situation… until Victini turned its head and noticed something.

[Trust me… I'd think you'd know if there wasn't any further progression to Aura Mode had Regulus or Arcturus told you about it…] Misty texted, as Ash looked at her, calming his nerves down and sighing a bit.

"… I'm not certain how concerned I should actually be about that, but… well…" Ash began to speak, before a few small tears began to form in his eyes. Misty was about to text further onto the worries she had, before erasing what she had and asking him something else.

[You really did feel attached to him, didn't you?] Misty asked, as Ash caught her off guard by moving to embrace her, calmly and gently.

"It's not just that… but… There's only so few people I know who I could consider very close to me… Though Regulus and I were close, we just didn't seem to feel as close as he and my father were… Plus, there was another thing that Regulus had told me to ask you if I ever did meet someone like you…" Ash said, as Misty's eyes widened when Ash moved to look at her in the eyes.

[W-What do you mean…? I-I… Uh… I know I… probably… feel what you're about to say, b-but… I'm scared about what would happen to you if something were to…]

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Misty… which brings me to what I would ask to you…" Ash interrupted, as Misty remained silent with her eyes wide and thoughtful about whatever Ash had to say next.

"Misty… There are people in my life I know I need to protect… Whether they need me to do so for them or not, though, I feel like there is at least one person in my life who I feel like there is more than the simple desire to protect regarding how I view whoever that person is… somebody special that by simply looking at them for the first time, I already feel like I know who I'd be willing to share my own life with…" Ash finished, giving enough time for his words to sink into Misty's thoughts before he continued.

Misty felt touched by what Ash had to say, tears forming in her eyes, all the while a blush crossed her face. Misty didn't know how to truly respond to Ash… except for one possible means of doing so.

"Do your words have true meaning to them, or will you be like any other boy in my life?" Misty suddenly spoke up, with her actual voice, as hoarse as it would've sounded, yet still enough of a clue to Ash to get the idea. Quietly grabbing a hold of Misty's hands and holding them within his own, Ash looked at Misty clear in the eyes.

"Misty… trust me when I say this… I would not want to share my life on as equal terms with anyone else other than you…" Ash confessed, as Misty's eyes widened in shock and surprise. After a moment, though, she had closed them and moved her mouth apart in a specific manner. Ash, realizing this, and also ignoring the fact most of his Pokémon were watching with a rather gleeful expression, moved in closer to Misty to try and kiss her…

… Until Victini's attention towards something else had snapped both of them out of it.

 _ **(Hey… Uh… Hero of Ideals? I think somebody is here to see you…)**_ Victini said, its voice sounding like it was terrified of something… particularly the soon to be arriving Mewtwo.

 _((Human! Whose energy am I detecting?!))_ Mewtwo suddenly shouted in Aura Speak, waking up Altair to where he began crying a little at the sudden, harsh voice Mewtwo had let out.

Ash, meanwhile, ignited his aura again to where it solidified into his Aura Mode again, as he looked around to try and find the source of the voice in question.

Mewtwo soon appeared from the towering foliage, and soon floated up towards Ash while completely ignoring his Pokémon. Misty was quick to send out her own Pokémon on hand, the Red Gyarados, as well as her Starmie, though Mewtwo was quick into subduing both of them with a powerful bolt of electricity being summoned down upon them the moment Mewtwo's eyes glowed a piercing blue.

"Do not interfere; I am not here to fight. I am simply here to test something, now that I know for certain I've sensed Its presence in the area." Mewtwo spoke up, before looking over at Ash. "The Deity's Gift, do you have it?" Mewtwo asked, as Ash didn't know how to respond, but Misty seemed to know exactly what Mewtwo was talking about.

"I seek to one day challenge one who has immense power over Aura, young one. Not just any Aura Sage, though, but one that has specifically received the Deity's Gift from the Alpha Pokémon Itself." Mewtwo spoke towards Ash, as he finally spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about… At least not yet…" Ash spoke, as his own Aura seem to intensify enough to a point where his exterior Aura Mode began to briefly spark with what appeared to be dark, black colored surges of electricity.

Ash, realizing what his Aura Mode was going through at the moment, noticed something new about it akin to whatever Mewtwo was talking about. Mewtwo, chuckling a little bit, jumped backwards onto a large rock as he gestured with his left hand for Ash to make a move.

"Come on then; I want you to hit me as hard as you can." Mewtwo spoke up, as Ash soon began coughing from the amount of aura energy he was beginning to let off. Mewtwo seemed confused by this, but acknowledged Ash quickly passing out onto the ground with his aura completely dissipating after a few seconds. Groaning to itself, Mewtwo motioned to leave.

"Very well, if that's the way you're going to play I'll simply return for a fight later. Besides, your Pokémon are not strong enough to truly face me just yet." Mewtwo spoke towards Ash and Misty, all the while Misty angrily looked at Mewtwo before going to tend to Ash's dehydrated state.

Quickly getting him a drink from his bag as Ash slowly but carefully moved to sit up, Ash looked over at Misty, practically panting from exhaustion, before Misty handed him a bottled drink for him as Ash proceeded to take a drink from it.

"T-Thanks…" Ash said, worn out from the overexertion of Aura he had used for a few moments in front of Mewtwo. Mewtwo, though, seemed to have left the area entirely at this point.

Misty, meanwhile, silently sighed in response to Ash beginning to feel better again, all the while Ash looked at Misty with curiosity.

' _So is she hiding her ability to speak, or is there something I don't know about her yet…? I mean… I have this odd feeling I've known her enough to truly know the answer, but… Even that little detail is a mystery to me…'_ Ash thought to himself regarding Misty.

_**About half an hour later…** _

"So that's what happened between you two last night?" Cheren asked Misty from the room they were in, during the time in which Ash was battling Misty. Misty nodded in response.

[It's complicated to explain everything outright, so Ash will have to fill you in later for everything else.] Misty texted Cheren, as Cheren nodded and sighed.

"Just, er, be careful next time with Ash's aura, will you?" Cheren said, before he heard Ash's voice speak up from the stadium in which he was battling Elesa in.

"But, uh, before we get to you giving me my badge, there's something I want to reveal to everyone on live TV." Ash spoke up, as Misty promptly took that as her cue to rush out onto the stadium where Ash was. Cheren looked at the door, confused by what he had just seen. As he and Bianca slowly opened the door to look and see what was going on, Cheren's eyes widened while Bianca covered her mouth in shock as to what they were seeing.

Ash and Misty, both kissing, and even confessing to each other, much to the confusion of Cheren and Bianca, but at the same time…

… To both of their delights as well.

**To Be Continued…**


	41. Chapter 40: Rage of Aura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Mythical Pokemon known as Hoopa begins to showcase its level as a threat to everyone by summoning not only an old acquaintance of Misty's, but summoning a being from another world that forces Ash to new limits...

For what appeared to be nearly 30 minutes' worth of time battling these children, Serperior, Emboar, and Samurott were beginning to feel a lot of fatigue in their system from facing off against the much younger, unevolved Rowlet, Litten, and Popplio respectively. The Pokémon couldn't tell if they were intentionally downplaying their strength or not, but their respective trainers knew they were stalling just to play things fairly.

As a result, when Rowlet struck Serperior with what appeared to be some form of Flying Type move, she finally collapsed from her fatigue. Emboar was soon to follow, as the much faster movements of Litten caught him off guard, including the fact Litten used an attack that moved too fast for him to even react to before collapsing. Then it was down to Samurott and Popplio. Just when Samurott was looking ready to draw out both Seamitars at once and attempt to activate Warlord-Samurott…

"No, save your energy." Ash ordered Samurott, as Samurott calmed down as he glared at Popplio while sheathing his Seamitars, before letting loose a mighty howl towards Popplio before the Sea Lion Pokémon finally made a move to knock out Samurott, and neither of the groups of trainers since the move was obscured by a heavy mist that Popplio had summoned, before the mist faded and showcased Samurott on the ground just like the other two Unova Starters.

"Well, that's that." Ash spoke up, as Cheren and Bianca nodded, all the while Alder clapped. Ash, Cheren, and Bianca moved to help their own Pokémon stand back up, as Cheren fed a Poké Puff to Serperior, Bianca betting Emboar on his head, and Ash giving a huge to Samurott as he helps him to stand, and the a nod that the two of them exchange in reassurance to the other.

Misty watched happily at the three, before she felt one of the Poké Balls on her belt open up on its own all of a sudden, before she felt something cling to her leg. Misty, cringing a little bit in fright, looked down and looked at the Pokémon of hers which moved to grasp her leg; a small, egg shaped Pokémon with red and blue spots on a white body.

"Elesa, you see to it that the drawbridge is lowered, I'll take care of things here." Alder ordered to Elesa, as Elesa nodded.

"Yes sir." Elesa said, before walking towards the west of the large, wide path they were on that lead from Nimbasa City to Ash's group's next destination; Driftveil City.

Unbeknownst to the group, though, N was in the air on the back of a large, but not too large, avian Pokémon colored in a red, white, and blue set of plumage, all the while N watched from above as to Ash's group and how they behaved with the small children and their respective Pokémon.

"I'll give him this much; he has a strong heart with what he believes in…" N spoke to himself, as soon felt an overpowering shadow of a much larger aerial Pokémon appearing before him; a large, white and purple Pokémon with red eyes glaring down at the much smaller avian Pokémon that N was flying on, and managing to stay in the air without needing to flap its wings. The trainer, who N couldn't see from his angle, ordered the Pokémon to fly down to the ground where Ash's group was, as N quietly stayed in the air where was with his own Pokémon to observe what was going to happen.

"So, you're Ash Ketchum, yes?" A voice called from the trainer on the flying Pokémon's back, as he made his descent to the ground while the Pokémon glowed and seemed to glow entirely before shrinking in size down into a smaller, white and blue Pokémon, indicating the other form was a Mega Evolved state.

Ash, looking over at the trainer taking notice of him, allowed Samurott to try and stand on his own as he walked over towards the trainer, who jumped off the back of his flying Pokémon.

"So, who might you be? And how do you know my name?" Ash asked the trainer.

"From the live battle you had against Elesa. I'm not exactly happy about it, to say the least." The trainer spoke up, as Cheren walked up to him and Ash.

"Yeah, and who wants to know why you're mad about it?" Cheren asked, as he could practically tell from the trainer's gaze that he seemed to showcase a special case of venom towards Ash.

"… Well, for one, my name is Hilbert, and this has nothing to do with you, Cheren." Hilbert introduced, adjusting his hat atop his brown haired head so it was in an even spot. Misty, though, seemed to back away from view of the whole scene, but before she could run off…

"Hey, Misty; don't run from me again, will you?" Hilbert asked, suddenly turned to walk towards Misty as the reason why Hilbert wasn't happy about Ash became very clear to him all of a sudden.

Hilbert was Misty's ex. Watching as Hilbert pursued Misty as she attempted to run, watching and practically feeling the pain Misty felt when Hilbert harshly grasp her arm and forced her to turn around, soon decided enough was enough.

"What's the matter? Why won't you speak to me anymore? Oh, that's right; your words mean nothing because you can't even-" Hilbert said, before sensing something and turning to suddenly attempt to deck Ash in the face, which Ash caught and blocked with one hand in a mere instant. Ash didn't even bother letting his aura not activate at this precise moment.

"… Leave." Ash told Hilbert, not liking the amount of distress he could sense from Misty, all the while Hilbert simply chuckled.

"Oh, leave? You want me to simply leave after how she basically cock-blocked me and ditched me within minutes of each of that happening?! I don't think so; I'm here to take her back with me." Hilbert asserted to Ash, as Ash's aura mode went from simple flames around his body into the more solidified armor it became in its second phase of training.

"Oh I know full well what you tried to do to Misty, Hilbert. Pestering her constantly so you can have her body as a mere plaything, how you emotionally abused her to try and manipulate her, how you turned and ran when her Red Gyarados went rampant from Mega Evolving for the first time, and most importantly, how you didn't even try to behave like a normal boyfriend towards her and how you relished how much you had exploited her having given to you everything she could but you never once returning the favor!" Ash suddenly ranted, as Hilbert struggled to get free from Ash's grip.

"… Mind I ask how the hell you even know all of that? Did Misty tell you any of that after the mere day it was you've known her?!" Hilbert growled, all the while Ash remained calm.

"Actually, because of a certain somebody, I had more than enough time, months even, to get to know who Misty was, what she was like, her background, and just about everything to like about her just like how she learned the same about me in that same timespan." Ash told off Hilbert, as Hilbert suddenly lost some of his composure with how… completely honest Ash sounded when he said that. Misty silently nodded as to what Ash was saying, as now Cheren was even more suspicious about what had happened the night before while Bianca was confused about the entire situation since she wasn't informed yet.

"Do you want to go or something, Ash?! I'm not scared of no damned Aura Sage if that's what you're thinking!" Hilbert warned Ash, as Ash didn't even need to gesture towards Cheren and Bianca for them to use a quick healing potion on Samurott to revitalize him so he's ready for battle. The large, flying Pokémon that Hilbert had under his command was about to move, until Hilbert ordered against it.

"No, not yet, Latios." Hilbert commanded, as Ash didn't even seem phased by any of Hilbert's venomous dialogue or glares.

"If you'll leave Misty and I alone than ya, I'll battle you just to get you to leave." Ash spoke, as he drew out a Poké Ball as did Hilbert as well.

"Pikachu, go!" Ash called, sending out Pikachu as his first Pokémon. Pikachu, emerging on the ground and ready to fight, simply glared towards Hilbert.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu growled, as Hilbert laughed.

"Alright, let's get this over with; who knows, maybe you'll actually get to see my true ace on the team. I'll give you a hint, it isn't Latios." Hilbert smirked, as Hilbert sent out his first Pokémon.

"Alright, Hoopa, you're up first!" Hilbert called, sending out a Pokémon that stood at such an immense height and emerged from it being six, massive, burly arms and a death glare so imposing that even Alder was shocked.

"Alright, Pokémon, GO!" Ash and Hilbert called, as Pikachu was quick to take a gigantic leap backwards before suddenly surging with electrical energy, passing by the aura charged Ash for an even more intense boost to power, before jumping and ramming into Hoopa's chest, as the massive Pokémon wasted no time in causing four of its six arms to suddenly disappear into rings and suddenly emerge all across Pikachu while repeatedly launching punches at Pikachu from all direction. From another portal directly behind Pikachu, Hoopa emerged from it just to laugh, only to soon be eating its own demon-like vocals before Pikachu suddenly jumped up and struck at Hoopa with his tail so immensely hard that Hoopa was forced back into the portal.

Hoopa, landing on the ground with a fatigued, yet extremely angered expression, suddenly spoke towards Pikachu as it laughed again.

" **Tell ya what, Pikachu; I'll wait things out, see how you handle Hilbert's ace of a prize I scored for him upon his request. I assure you, you've not seen anything like it before at all."** Hoopa spoke in a loud, deep voice as Pikachu wanted to ensure Hoopa was out of the fight entirely by landing a final strike against Hoopa that knocked it out conscious.

With Hoopa KO'd, Hilbert called it back and sent out his next Pokémon.

"Good enough, but you've still got two more opponents! Alright, Latios, now you're up!" Hilbert ordered, as Latios rushed into the battle field all the while Ash tapped at a device on his wrist with a Key Stone in it to trigger Latios' Mega Evolution into Mega Latios, a sphere of energy encasing Latios as to be expected, until Pikachu used a powerful bolt of electricity against Latios to force himself back into his Poké Ball, as Samurott suddenly pounced into the field and didn't even wait on Ash's command to use Mysterious Samurai on Latios mid-Mega Evolution and began to repeatedly hack and slash at the transforming Latios repeatedly landing one final strike against Latios that shattered the sphere of energy and caused it to explode against Latios within as Latios fell to the ground in defeat.

As Ash's aura looked like it began to intensify, Samurott was quick to look over towards, Ash, who nodded and allowed for Samurott to transform by first drawing out his twin Seamitars as they suddenly transform into Seamitanas as Warlord-Samurott is awoken yet again.

"So what's with the use of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon to fight against me with, anyways? Are you trying to just show off?" Ash asked, not trying to sound hostile just to keep himself calm at the moment, all the while his question earned a laugh from Hilbert.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it; I will simply do whatever it absolutely takes to get Misty back with me again, and even if it means outright killing you, SO BE IT!" Hilbert suddenly yelled, before drawing a purple colored Poké Ball with two pinkish red spots on the top with a white colored M in the center.

"The grand finale! Let's kill this guy's Pokémon while we're at it! Finish him off, WarGreymon!" Hilbert called, as he threw the Poké Ball out as Ash, Cheren, Bianca, and Misty were all caught off guard a little by what Hilbert said.

"WarGrey-what?" Ash, Cheren, and Bianca asked in unison, before emerging from the Poké Ball was a tall "Pokémon", standing a good deal taller than a human with an reddish-orange body color, what appeared to be metal armor covering its humanoid body, a Ceratosaur-like head with a red mane and metallic helmet. As the strange creature emerged from the Poké Ball, a hexagonal shield materialized on its back, before large weapons materialized on the arms which then proceeded to unsheathe massive claws, before the creature burst with a raw, powerful amount of energy before landing on the ground, glaring down Warlord-Samurott with hellish green eyes.

"…" WarGreymon was silent in vocals, as Warlord-Samurott proceeded to move to attack with his Seamitanas, but was knocked aside with a mere backhanded slap, before WarGreymon suddenly jumped into the air and began to charge an a massive sphere of fiery energy to slam down onto Warlord-Samurott.

"Quick! Hydro Cannon, full force!" Ash yelled towards Warlord-Samurott, his aura beginning to surge with black currents of electricity again just like earlier that morning as the flame portions of his Aura Mode began to return into view.

"Now! Finish him with Gaia Force!" Hilbert called towards WarGreymon as WarGreymon was quick to throw down the giant sphere of energy towards Warlord-Samurott, before Warlord-Samurott caused the ball of fiery energy to stop midair from a powerful current of water from his mouth in the form of Hydro Cannon. Suddenly tossing his Seamitanas to spin around his side before launching like rockets towards WarGreymon, WarGreymon didn't appear to take much damage from the attack, until…

"Alright, Hilbert! This is getting dangerous! Call him off, NOW!" Ash called towards Hilbert, his eyes beginning to shift from his usual Aura Mode's gold glow to a slow, gradual red beginning to emerge in its place, all the while the currents of black energy began to become more prominent. Hilbert, though, merely laughed.

"Or what? And let you live knowing you stole my girl? I don't think so!" Hilbert yelled towards Ash, as Ash suddenly yelled as the glow on his eyes turned a shining red, with his aura flames surging around both his body, black energy surging for a moment before encircling into larger flames focused around his hands, as Ash turned his gaze towards WarGreymon just as Gaia Force made impact with Warlord-Samurott barely holding off Gaia Force.

" _That's it!_ _ **Aura! Blitz!**_ _"_ Ash said, an explosion of aura flames emerging from his body as a crater formed on the ground below him, as Hilbert blinked.

"Aura-what?" Hilbert asked, before watching as Ash proceeded to jump add the way to WarGreymon's height before promptly kneeing him quite a distance away. As WarGreymon felt the massive recoil take hold, Ash quickly began to charge an immense surge of energy in his hands after he felt the increased adrenaline from Warlord-Samurott after Gaia Force had faded due to Hydro Cannon's help.

" _ **AURA! STORM!"**_ Ash called, before proceeding to fire a blast of aura energy towards WarGreymon that was so immense that it put Arcturus' version of Aura Storm to absolute shame in terms of size and power, before WarGreymon suddenly turned to look at the incoming project and moved to try and block it with the shield on his back, before the full force of the attack hit him far too quickly for him to block as an immense explosive force painted the sky upon Aura Storm's impact.

With WarGreymon visibly falling back into one of the rings that Hoopa used, Hoopa appeared in view where Hilbert used to be in a much smaller form.

"Oho! Thanks for the show, Ashy boy! I sincerely hope Hilbert enjoyed that access to power while he still could, but now he's got to get back to my 1,000 favors from him. Tootles~!" Hoopa said, laughing before suddenly vanished from view once Ash's Unfezant emerged from her Pokémon to ensure Ash landed on the ground safely, with Ash's Aura Mode de-stabilizing and causing Ash to pass out from the sheer amount of energy he exerted from it, before his aura mode dissipated entirely.

As Ash moved to try and stand on his own after Unfezant carefully managed to place him back on the ground. Ash, looking like he was about to faint, was quickly kept in balance by Misty, Cheren, and Bianca quickly rushing up towards him to help him stand.

"Ash… What was all of that we just saw?!" Bianca asked, practically horrified, as Cheren was equally stunned as Misty herself looked shocked as well.

"I can't seem to recall the full details, but when I was at the sacred land with Arcturus, Regulus, and Misty last night, I was given some form of power boost by the surrounding area…" Ash told them, legitimately unable to recall the fact Arceus had a hand in giving him that much raw power to make use of…

… Or the fact Mewtwo was possibly listening in on the entire battle once Ash's energy began so skyrocket to higher levels than even Mewtwo's own. Mewtwo was indeed watching from afar, and simply chuckled.

"… Heh. I'm impressed, Ketchum. I didn't honestly believe the rumors of the Aura Sage bloodline becoming potent enough over the various generations was true, but there you were, fighting an unknown adversary, and you actually managed to top my own normal form's power for a few brief moments. I would congratulate you, but sadly I'm not in that area." Mewtwo spoke, looking around at the same Hoopa that Pikachu fought appearing behind it and soon summoning something massive from its rings while laughing mad all the way.

"… Though now I've got a case of pest control, to ensure this spoiled brat doesn't allow himself to exploit the envy of humans too much for its own good." Mewtwo said, promptly charging a sphere of energy towards Hoopa all the while preparing to face an unknown adversary from within Hoopa's ring…

Either way, the mere fact Hoopa was capable of summoning creatures that didn't need to be other Pokémon was enough to warrant to both Mewtwo and Ash that Hoopa would be a threat later...

Especially if Hoopa were to find a way towards Ghetsis or anyone else from Team Plasma…

**To Be Continued…**


	42. Chapter 41: Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mewtwo and Hoopa have a conversation about the latter's behavior, while Ash and Cheren head out to get something fixed and end up learning more about Sirius as a result.

Mewtwo maintained a constant glare towards Hoopa as a smoldering crater with the mostly destroyed corpse of a giant, unknown monstrosity was seen in the wreckage. Hoopa maintained a constant grin in all of this despite the defeat of its "pet".

"So… You're not the Mewtwo I remember, are you? You've become strong… Stronger than I remember!" Hoopa complimented, as Mewtwo maintained its silent glare.

"… What did you do to the boy?" Mewtwo asked, as he carefully used its telekinetic grab to take hold of the unconscious Hilbert that was laying on the ground, carefully picking him up as it maintained eye contact with Hoopa.

"Oh? Him? I've more or less been manipulating him his whole life with the promise of dreams coming true… so long as he would allow me access to my unbound power." Hoopa explained, as Mewtwo scoffed a bit.

"A bit cruel even for your sick lust for power, Hoopa; this boy's emotions truly cared for Misty years ago, and you had manipulated him into despair! I can practically tell in his mind that he had become a broken shell because of your antics." Mewtwo spoke up, as Hoopa laughed a bit to itself.

"Well? What did you expect I was to do? I'm a mischievous prankster and all! I don't care what it is I do so long as I can regain my original power for days on end!" Hoopa spoke up.

"Even if it means bringing in lifeforms from other dimensions?!" Mewtwo had questioned more loudly than normal, as Hoopa's grin began to fade a little.

"W-What do you mean…?"

"That Pokémon… no… whatever it was… The one called WarGreymon; it is not from our own native universe! Plus that monster you had sent after me, neither was it as well! Do you think these sort of antics will go unpunished?!" Mewtwo began asking of Hoopa, as it teleported the unconscious Hilbert away from the scene.

"So… What are you going to do about it?" Hoopa asked, a bit wary in tone, before Mewtwo had suddenly disappeared from sight, causing Hoopa to freak out a bit, before suddenly yelping in a sudden, sharp hiss of pain as Mewtwo landed a solid blow to Hoopa's back with its left hand, before a crystal of Emera manifested within Mewtwo's Looplet that had begun to glow like a rainbow.

"… What is that neat little toy of yours?" Hoopa asked, as Mewtwo didn't respond with words; instead, Mewtwo's body became encircled in energy as Mewtwo began to transform in shape much more drastically than any other Mega Evolution. Its tail disappearing and seemingly reforming on the back of its own head, as well as Mewtwo's body shrinking and acquiring more prominent toes and fingers as well as a more rounded face with a head crest and red eyes, Mewtwo emerged from the sphere of energy with a DNA helix appearing above its head.

 **"Give my regards to my surrogate mother if you see them when you're out of here…"** Mewtwo yelled in a more high pitched but somehow deeper voice, before floating at an immense speed towards Hoopa, grabbing it with a telekinetic grip.

"Wait… What?" Hoopa tried to ask before being blasted at close range with a sphere of shadowy energy, being hit from the attack with such a force that it had been launched clear into the horizon. Mewtwo, warping Hilbert back into range, carefully placed its hand on Hilbert's forehead, before quietly beginning to speak.

**"Hilbert… I know what you had been forced to do against your own will… I apologize for what Hoopa had done to you, how it had stolen everything you once knew from you… but that will not be able to get those things back… You must accept the current state of what has happened between friends and family… find your way of moving on in the world, free from Hoopa's grasp…"**

**"… And you shall prosper eternal, young Aura Seeker…"**

_**Driftveil Bridge; Nimbasa City side…** _

The ringing of Elesa's Xtransceiver could be heard once Ash and his group were out of hearing range. Elesa, answering it, noticed a man with white hair and a beard covering his bottom jaw appear on screen.

"Drayden?!" Elesa asked, not having expected to see his face so soon.

"Yes, by any chance is Ash still with you? I've just got informed by Clay that he is heading to Driftveil City to challenge him it seems." Drayden asked, as the older man's sharp gaze did little to keep Elesa's usual composure.

"Well, you see… Ash and his friends have already left across the bridge. Did you need him for anything?" Elesa asked, as Drayden went silent for a good moment or two. Elesa's gaze became a bit more serious at this moment.

"… Where's Iris?" Elesa had asked, as Drayden blinked.

"She is heading for Driftveil City. She wished to meet up with Ash, why?" Drayden replied, as Elesa blinked.

"Does… Does she already know that Ash is taken by this point…?" Elesa asked Drayden, as Drayden silently sighed deeply before looking at Elesa more seriously.

"… If I may ask a favor if you run into Iris any time soon… do not let anybody, and I mean anybody, try and break her heart about this… is that clear?" Drayden asked, the authority in his tone clear and prominent as Elesa nodded.

"Understood…" Elesa said, as she decided to ask, "Anything else?" to Drayden, but while Drayden was quiet, he eventually spoke up.

"Yes… Could you get into contact with the other Gym Leaders from whom Ash will challenge next? I do not believe Lenora had informed them all of Ash's possession of the Dark Stone… They must be ready not only to bring an actual challenge to Ash, but at Ash's current rate of advancement, they must be able to ensure they even pose a challenge at all." Drayden asked, before quietly continuing with a bit of his own thoughts.

"… And while it pains me to say this, I recommend you get into contact immediately with Skyla… She must be ready the most for her challenge against Ash…" Drayden told Elesa, as Elesa nodded before asking something.

"Yes… but… Why Skyla in particular?" Elesa brought up, as Drayden simply glanced at her with a piercing gaze.

"You know why, Elesa; I do not wish for Ash to suffer the same fault as his own father in this regard…"

_**Later…** _

Once the group had crossed the large, lengthy drawbridge on their bikes, they arrived to Driftveil City on schedule. Ash, though, due to the incident earlier, decided on something to ensure he didn't overwork himself.

"Hey, Cheren, can you go and schedule our Gym Battle for us again? I need to get some rest after Hilbert and the rest of the trip here took too much out of me…" Ash asked of Cheren, who nodded.

"No problem, I understand the issue. Misty, stay with Ash while I go and check us and schedule us for a Gym Battle with the local Gym Leader." Cheren said, before looking over at Bianca. "You can either come with me, stay with them, train in the courtyard, or go around the outskirts to search for any Pokémon to catch for the Gym Battle. It's up to you." Cheren said, waiting on Bianca's answer.

"I'll go out and try and catch a Pokémon around here. I have something in mind, so I need to head out there and get something if I can find it." Bianca told Cheren, waving the three of them goodbye for the moment as she moved to leave for outside.

"Oh, Bianca! Could you hold on for a moment?" Cheren brought up, moving to get something from out of his bag before Bianca would leave his sights. Bianca, stopping for a moment, watched as Cheren carefully grabbed something wrapped around in a small batch of cloth from his bag, before he walked over to Bianca and handed the object to her.

"Just be careful, alright?" Cheren spoke up, as Bianca giggled a bit, moving to quickly kiss him on the cheek as Cheren blushed. Bianca giggled a bit, calmly.

"Look, I understand your concern, but I don't have a target on me like how Ash probably does right now. You saw what Hilbert tried against him, right?" Bianca said, as Cheren took a moment to respond, but nevertheless nodded.

"I-I understand… I'm just… er… the weather is going to be colder the further we move ahead, you know?" Cheren asked Bianca, hoping she would understand his concern. Bianca, taking a moment to try and think this through, seemed to understand at this point, but shook her head a bit.

"Cheren, I need to become a strong trainer, and if it means pushing myself further, I will do what I need to do." Bianca told him, as Cheren relented and sighed.

"A-Alright… Just be back before it gets too dark, okay?" Cheren said, as Bianca nodded, as she moved to leave for outside with Ash walking up to Cheren and carefully taping his shoulder.

"Hey, if it helps take your concern elsewhere, could you help me in the shops here at Driftveil City?" Ash asked, as Cheren went from a concerned look to a more confused one.

"… What?" Cheren said, as Ash whispered something into his ear, before Cheren regained his serious look and both of them nodded to each other, before looking over towards Ash's bag and grabbing Ash's uniform from the Nimbasa Gym challenge, and then Ash beginning to walk out of the room, Misty retreating into the room for a shower as within the blink of an eye, Altair had entered the bathroom just as Misty was about to close the door.

_**Driftveil City Local Marketplace…** _

As Ash and Cheren had found a spot in the plaza specializing in clothing, the old woman at the counter looked at Ash with intrigue.

"Hmmm… So you're Ketchum's son? You certainly share quite the resemblance…" She spoke up, as Ash nodded all the while Cheren stood off to the side.

"So, you want to readjust this uniform to more properly match your size, correct?" The old woman asked, as Ash nodded.

"Er, did my dad ever ask that about his own uniform as well?" Ash asked rather embarrassingly, as the woman nodded.

"That and your mother kept nagging to him about how tight it looked on him, but do not worry; I'll fix up this old uniform neat and tidily." The woman told Ash, as Ash nodded and handed her the necessary amount to pay for the fixup. The woman, however, declined the credits being handed to her.

"Trust me, I don't need a payment from the son of one of my former students." She spoke up, as Ash's eyes widened a little in surprise as Cheren turned his gaze towards her as well. "Indeed, I am an Aura Sage myself, but not many people bother to believe my story because my partner Lucario no longer lives alongside me." She finished, as Ash paid close attention.

"So… You actually trained my father?" Ash asked, moving to sit near the front counter as did Cheren, paying attention as the woman as she had begun to work on fixing up Ash's heirloom of a uniform.

"Now, then… would you like to know the full story of things?" She had asked, as Ash and Cheren nodded, as the woman chuckled a little. "Not too often I hear people actually willing to listen to my story, but…"

"Let us begin with how I had first met him…"

_It all started around 38 years ago, during a time when small children would be napping in a daycare in a region called Kalos. In this daycare, a younger woman was keeping watch over a handful of small children currently asleep in the afternoon._

_As the children were asleep, she walked over towards a small, raven haired child of four years old, and began to wonder to herself while he was sleeping away from the other children in a lonesome sleep. Perhaps something was bugging him?_

_When the woman heard a knock a gentle knock on the door, she quietly moved towards the front door and opened it, glancing downwards to see a shorter Lucario carrying some boxes into the house._

((Do you know if any of these children are like us?)) _The Lucario asked, as she set the boxes down as the woman closed the door and sighed._

((Well… I'm having doubts on the boy, but he doesn't seem to want to socialize with the others…)) _The woman spoke to the Lucario, as the Aura Pokémon sighed._

((… I might have an idea. Help me out here real quick.)) _The Lucario told her trainer, all the while opening the boxes and taking out Pokémon eggs that were within incubators inside said boxes, and each of the eggs looking ready to hatch. All of the eggs were of different colorations, but only one of which had the same blue and black coloration associated with a Riolu._

_Upon setting the eggs down in the play room where the children next to where the children were sleeping, the woman noticed the door slowly creak open and out walked of the bedrooms was the raven haired child. He looked tired, but something had caught his attention. The Lucario was on alert due to how the child had decided to enter the room._

((… Is this the one?)) _She had asked her trainer._

((That would be Sirius, why…?)) _The woman asked back quietly, all the while they both watched as Sirius, rather sleepily, walked over towards the different Pokémon eggs. Not seeming to bother paying much attention to them, he finally settled his attention on the blue and black egg. Sirius, upon spotting this egg in particular, moved to sit beside it and rested his small hands down upon it._

_At first, nothing seemed to have happened; after a while, an emanating, flame-like mist began to form around Sirius' hands, all the while the woman and her Lucario watched with intrigue. As the flame of aura began to burn stronger, the egg began to glow and hatch as the egg itself began to glow with a bright aura as well._

_After a minute had passed, the woman and her Lucario watched as the infantile Sirius was cheerfully smiling at the near equal sized, baby Emanation Pokémon before him. The Riolu looked rather curious about everything before her, before eventually calming and setting her sights on Sirius before her._

" _Arcturus?" Sirius spoke up in a rather squeaky voice, as the Riolu stood there for a moment with a surprised glance, before beginning to move around the room in a playful manner, all the while Sirius tried to follow after her, all the while occasionally slipping as he did. Arcturus was moving too fast for him it seemed._

((Calm down, Arcturus…)) _The Lucario spoke up, referring to the Riolu by the name Sirius had given her._

((Nooo…)) _Arcturus whined, as Sirius stopped and stood still for a moment. Looking over towards the Lucario, and then back at Arcturus, Sirius tried to say something._

((Pwetty pwease…?)) _Sirius asked Arcturus, as Arcturus calmed rather quickly and moved up to face Sirius directly. She was rather surprised when she was drawn into a tight hug from Sirius, both of them feeling a budding aura surge through the other for as long as the hug had lasted. The older woman, watching Sirius and Arcturus' interactions, walked up to Lucario to ask her something._

((Should we call Gurkinn about this?)) _The woman had asked, as Lucario shook her head._

((Wait until they're both older, and we'll inform him then…)) _The Lucario spoke up, as the two of them watched as Sirius and Arcturus were playing with each other._

"… And that is how I first came to know of him as a potential user of Aura." The old woman spoke up, as Ash and Cheren paid close attention to what she was saying.

"So… Did you know who his parents were?" Ash had asked, as the woman shook her head.

"Did any of the other kids display any abnormal abilities as well?" Cheren had asked, as the woman took a moment to think.

"Well… After Sirius was an older teenager during training, a girl with blue hair I was watching over did showcase Aura capabilities as well… Aside from those two, however, I hadn't seen any others display such abilities while I still worked there." The older woman spoke, before finishing up repairs and refining of Ash's uniform, before quietly handing him the folded up bundle of clothing, to which Ash lowered his gaze in respect.

"Thank you…" Ash spoke up, as he then asked, "You sure you don't want any payment from this?" Ash had asked, as the woman shook her head.

"Consider this a returned favor for Sirius if he ever is found after he had disappeared years ago…" The old woman spoke up, as Ash and Cheren nodded.

"We'll be on our way, then." Cheren spoke up, as he and Ash moved to leave to head back to the Pokémon Center to check up with the others. As they were walking, Cheren spoke up to Ash.

"Do you want me to check in with the gym again like last time?" Cheren asked, to which Ash shook his head.

"Let's check in when I'm able to show myself in person this time; I don't want this to go like last time if anything." Ash spoke up, as Cheren nodded.

"Sounds fine. I've heard Burgh mention that Clay was often difficult to work with anyways back in the day." Cheren said, before both of them walked back into the Pokémon Center and headed towards their room.

"By the way, think we should ask Misty why Altair stayed behind?" Cheren asked Ash, as they opened the door to the bedroom all the while Ash looked ahead and visibly blushed as he halted in place. As Cheren was about to say something, Ash was quick to put a hand over his mouth and slowly lead the both of them away.

In their bedroom in front of them was neither Misty nor Bianca; but rather, a dark skinned girl whom they had met when they had first arrived in Castelia City; a girl that was mostly undressed save for a few articles of clothing; a girl by the name of Iris. Without even turning around to face them, Iris already knew that both Ash and Cheren were in direct view behind her.

"Thanks for letting me stay here for a while, Ash; I just wanted to get away from Opelucid City for a while…"

**To Be Continued…**


	43. Chapter 42: Frost and Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghetsis feels he isn't making his status clear among his co-workers, and heads to address an issue to showcase who is truly in charge of Team Plasma. Meanwhile, Bianca and her Emboar are faced up against an opponent that could possibly hold some answers to the upcoming crisis involving Team Plasma's efforts...

Today was not a pleasant day for one of the sages of Team Plasma. Right now he had just finished locking himself and several grunts in a freezing cold storage facility, and, despite thick layers of clothing and robes, was beginning to feel unforgiving cold… as if something was glaring him into a frigid state.

"S-So, e-err, Z-Z-Zinzolin… W-What do we do now that we've l-locked ourselves in h-here?" One of the grunts asked, as the sage, named Zinzolin, hushed the grunt to be quiet.

"Calm down, relax… It's just the cold… And despite how much I hate the cold… it could be far worse…"

"Worse? You don't say? What could be worse than this?" A voice asked in Zinzolin's head, as the grunts looked rather startled all of a sudden, but none of them had spoken up about anything.

"W-Who said that…?!" Zinzolin asked, as he had a good, long look around in the frigid storage facility… and aside from blocks of ice layering the walls… nothing was in sight. Zinzolin carefully observed his surroundings, looking carefully to see if anything may had snuck inside at all without them knowing.

"… Alright… One of you go out there through the mist and begin searching for anything suspicious… I think something is watching us…" Zinzolin ordered the nearest grunt in front of him, who jumped in surprise about being called out.

"B-But Zinzolin! He's not out there h-he's-"

"Enough! You should know better than to underestimate this so called "Aura Sage" that Ghetsis had been speaking of! How do we know he isn't capable of doing tricks we have no knowledge of?!" Zinzolin barked, as an electrical surge could be heard in the ceiling above. Something rather large in size could practically be felt not all that far away, and its presence was indicated by a loud, thrashing set of growls and hisses as it seemed to be trying to tear something free of something… once the sounds stopped…

… So did the lights.

"… What's going on out there…?" Zinzolin asked, as he took a moment to think about this whole ordeal, not even realizing the feeling of being touched by something cold in nature due to the surrounding conditions… none of the grunts were even able to see clearly as to what was going on, but Zinzolin let out a small gasp as he slowly felt someone's warmer breath against his ear, listening rather well as to the hushing noises the person behind him was making.

"Zinzolin… Don't you get it… Hold still for a moment… And turn around for, please…?" A man's voice could be heard, as Zinzolin felt a strong hand caress the other side of his face, before pulling forcefully turned around and pushed forward a bit as Zinzolin failed to let out a gasp or even a sound this time; something had a firm grip around his neck.

"Now then… Stay still for a moment and listen… Why are you and your section of grunts here? In a city that Lor- Sage Ghetsis has no intentions of doing anything with? Did the great Lord N not inform you that he has no need for assistance at the time?" The voice had asked, all the while Zinzolin could be felt shivering, but he couldn't tell if it was from the cold, the unusual presence of warmth behind him… or the one he's directly feeling in front of his face.

"W-What do you mean…? Lord N did not desire any sort of plan here…?" Zinzolin had asked, all the while the grunts were nowhere in range based on the lack of sound coming from their direction.

"No… Of course not… Don't you see? There are only two areas of importance in Unova… The Castle underground to the furthest north, and Castelia City… You were there trying to manipulate Ghetsis, were you? Or was that the other meddlesome sage that tricked him at the moment…? You know full well that Ghetsis does not like that kind of trouble… As the former Lord himself, you don't suppose he would be happy if he ever saw you again… would he…?" The voice asked with a soft, gentle, but outright sinister tone filled with an additional quieter hostility in tone spoke to Zinzolin, as Zinzolin could practically be heard panicking if anybody could hear him. His eyes were drawn towards a reddish glow, as a dripping liquid could be seen brushing against his face and shoulders…

… But it wasn't the melting ice nearby due to any sort of lack of power…

"… What do you think I should do to report back to Ghetsis with? I know I've made a mistake by listening to N's misguided orders, but please! Aldith just let me go already and stop using that intimidating voice!" Zinzolin asked of the person behind him, but Zinzolin quickly felt himself turn around and saw himself staring into a single, bloodied red eye with not a single shred of humanity within them… and no other eye was visible except for a glowing red visor that soon began visible.

"… G-Ghetsis…?! H-How… How did you get in here…?!" Zinzolin asked in a panicked, as the man, slowly moving in to a proximity that was flat out uncomfortable for Zinzolin by this point, had something to say.

"Now now, Zinzolin… It's not often that I get to directly see the royal pain feast this up close…" Ghetsis spoke up, as Zinzolin could hear a finger snap, before suddenly Zinzolin was dragged rather powerfully up into the air, being lifted upside down as something had a strong grasp of his head by a set of jaws of sorts, before Zinzolin's yelps completely ceased.

Ghetsis simply watched with sadistic glee as the abnormally large, three-headed Pokémon he referred to as the "royal pain", began shaking around Zinzolin violently, before watching as the larger head opened its jaws further than one would normally see one of its kind feast, a powerful crunching heard as the once living man before Ghetsis was being engulfed entirely by this monstrosity of a Pokémon that had a grasp of Zinzolin.

With Zinzolin disposed of with only a single bite necessary, the lights turned back on as the grunts focused their attention on Ghetsis, the hovering monstrosity directly behind them, or both of them at once in fear of what they would do. Ghetsis didn't directly turn to face them; his eye just turned towards them to see if they would realize he demanded their attention, the ominous silence filling the room once the Pokémon stopped growling and become… uncannily quiet…

"Now then… You three… Did you spot anything out of the ordinary? By any chance encounter a purple, transforming Pokémon with cybernetic enhancements scoping the area? Did you see any of those…?" Ghetsis asked in an… oddly calm and satisfied tone, all the while the grunts didn't know whether or not to fear him or begin to defy him… the female in the middle chose the latter.

"Y-You… What did you do to Zinzolin?! Where is he?!" She yelled out, all the while Ghetsis' sudden motion of, Ghetsis grasped a tight hold of her in a trap of an embrace, lifting her up high to where Ghetsis' smirk could be seen loud and clear, all the while the grunt still did not budge regarding Ghetsis' behavior.

"Trust me, dear lass… I get no joy from such experiences, believe me on that much… but will you please stay still and listen to me, carefully…?" Ghetsis asked, setting the girl down as his towering stature was much more obvious from the close proximity. The girl still didn't budge, but kept her gaze fixated on Ghetsis as he motioned a few, large steps out of the way of her and the larger, three headed, Draconic Pokémon.

"Lass, with a fiery attitude like that… consider all of you three… FIRED!" Ghetsis yelled with a rather nightmarish shift in vocal tone, his voice deep, rasping, yet at the same time incredibly clear with his sudden shout. Pointing his cane towards the Pokémon above, letting out a loud, nearing inhuman yell of sorts, the middlemost head slowing in frenzied movements out of fright, watched as Ghetsis made his gesture with his cane towards the three grunts and thus his orders clear.

Within an instant, the Dragon Pokémon's three heads suddenly spewed forth a fiery inferno of flames in the shape of an odd letter of sorts, the blast of the flames striking the three grunts as the lights slowly flickered off and remained off this time. The only lights were the flailing grunts set aflame, and the malice filled eyes of Ghetsis and his newly trained to kill Pokémon.

Once the fires began to dim in intensity, Ghetsis could see the girl was still trying to struggle while the other two had perished… Ghetsis didn't approve of that motion, and rather swiftly slammed his cane down against her burnt body into the ground, as the Pokémon began to move in closer into view.

"… Excellent… Dispose of them like you did the traitor… You have much training that still needs to be finished, your royal pain… You will be a wonderful servant to my true plans… Do not let N see you in your current state…" Ghetsis spoke up, moving his cane to point towards the Pokémon's necks, relishing in how the Pokémon had shivered suddenly due to the cane's presence. The Pokémon didn't budge, it simply stayed incredibly still and quiet.

"Do you understand? Fail me, and you will be put down like all the others I had attempted to train..." Ghetsis made loud and clear to the large Pokémon, the Pokémon remaining still and near motionless even in its necessity to hover in the air with the help of six, wing-like structures.

"Good. Now finish up so we can quickly leave."

_**Driftveil City Pokémon Center…** _

"B-But I thought Ash invited me over!" Iris tried to explain while in a bit of a panic.

"Well we weren't in the room and we were out getting something fixed! We just left Misty alone for her to shower and- Oh how about that…" Cheren spoke, as Misty soon arrived in the room with a towel wrapped around her body, her hair completely down as she looked at Ash and Cheren, and then towards Iris with a bit of a soft glance.

"… M-Misty…? What are you still doing here? The Driftveil Tournament has been over for days now…!" Iris tried to talk, but her tone sounded unusually shy, as she slowly looked towards Ash. "U-Um… Am I intruding at all…?" Iris asked, as Ash shook his head.

"So long as you're fully dressed, I don't mind you staying here with us… I'm not in a good condition for a battle, so I'm taking the rest of the day to relax my nerves…" Ash told Iris, as Iris blinked.

"Oh… Oh! Did something bad happen?! Did that battle with Elesa take too much out of you?!" Iris asked, silently cursing to herself about something regarding Elesa, but slowly glanced back towards the three trainers before her.

"… By the way where is Bianca? Aren't I supposed to be looking after her?" Iris asked, as Cheren was about to say something but decided against it at this point.

"… Well… she's off trying to catch a Pokémon, so I can't blame her if she's absent like this…" Ash spoke up, as Cheren nodded.

"Besides, it was kind of beginning to get on my nerves as well with how protective of her I was starting to get at one point…" Cheren groaned as he remembered how he felt back then.

"Besides, she's got several minutes before she has to call and check up with us. If she doesn't respond after that, we'll go out looking for her." Ash spoke up, as Cheren and Misty nodded.

_**Route 6…** _

Bianca was beginning to get frustrated by this point. Emboar was standing beside her and gave her a confused glance. Normally Emboar didn't mind when he was allowed to fight the way he liked; but Bianca seemed like she was trying to vent some unknown frustration to her.

"I don't get it… I used to be able to keep my insecurity about this to myself and not burden the others with it… But… Emboar…" Bianca said, slowly beginning to calm. "A-Am I a strong enough trainer for you…?" Bianca had asked, all the while Emboar took a moment to think of a proper response, before grunting a bit as if attempting to talk; Bianca didn't take the chance to miss what she thought she heard.

"… What was that…? You… Sounded different…" Bianca asked, as Emboar blinked in confusion, as he slowly turned towards her, keeping a distance so that his fiery beard didn't pose a problem to her.

"Seriously… Normally you're all "Deep, gruff, and scary" sounding in tone when you make any sort of noise, but what I heard just there was… much calmer and seemed to have a sort of clarity to it…" Bianca explained, as Emboar raised an eyebrow.

"C-Could by any chance you try and make that sound again…?" Bianca asked, as she listened carefully towards Emboar. Listening to his grumbling, his tone sounded oddly clear for a Pokémon of his heavily built, brutish stature, at least, at this particular moment he did.

" _Was that what I thought I had heard? The sound of a Pokémon attempting to speak like the humans I hear? It has been years since I heard another like you attempt such a feat; though that one was much smaller than you, and nowhere near as strong..."_ A powerful, thick voice spoke up, as Bianca became rather startled quickly by the tone of the voice in question. However, when Bianca thought about it, she tried to figure out where the voice had even came from in the first place…

Bianca, beginning to feel rather angered again, tried to say something which she figured the mysterious voice would have a response to.

"Ya know if this is some kind of joke from a Legendary Pokémon I'm kind of getting jealous as to Ash having Cobalion and Cheren having Virizion… Then again Ash also has Victini and by proxy Zek-"

" _SILENCE! Enough faking these emotions you know little of how to wield, young lady. Plus speaking of the Dragon of Ideals is kind of a touchy subject don't you think? Yet alone one of the five Aspects…"_ The voice shouted, as a powerful thud was heard from behind Bianca and Emboar, all the while Bianca turned around and gasped in surprise as Emboar turned around and let out a deep, growling snarl of abnormally larger amounts of aggression than usual.

" _Look, I get it; you're doing the selfless act of hiding your own insecurities so you don't embarrass your friends… I understand… Do you want to hear a story from me, Terrakion the Strong?"_ The voice, belonging to a large, heavily built quadrupedal Pokémon named Terrakion spoke up, as Bianca's eyes were wide as she slowly nodded. She gestured for Emboar to calm down, becoming rather nervous when Terrakion let out a deep, subdued snarl towards Emboar as Emboar equally returned a growl… but the clarity from before was beginning to show again…

"Look… Terrakion… I don't know much about what the legends have told of you or the other two… I just want to ask… Why show yourself to me? Why not anybody else who actually feels confident about what they're capable of doing as a trainer?" Bianca questioned asked of Terrakion, feeling uncomfortable as the large, Ox-like Legendary Pokémon stepped forward towards Bianca. Emboar did not let this go unnoticed.

" _Does my presence awaken your inner capabilities yet, young lady and Emboar?"_ Terrakion asked, as Bianca and Emboar stayed silent. With that, Terrakion suddenly bucked and rammed forward into Bianca, causing her to fall backwards a bit but manage to quickly get back up despite the powerful blow against her. Taking in deep breaths real quick, Bianca allowed her hands to ignite in an orange flame of energy.

"… Stop it."

" _And not even at full power I see! I'm already impressed here!"_ Terrakion taunted as it knocked aside Emboar just as far back as Bianca was as it moved to glare at both of them in a combat ready stance. Bianca, meanwhile, raised her fists into the air and slammed them downward, causing her entire body to ignite with Heartsoul energies as her eyes began to glow a piercing, solid green gaze.

"Emboar… Get ready… This Legendary needs to know some manners…" Bianca said to Emboar, all the while Emboar moved in front of Bianca to defend her from whatever possible attack Terrakion had in mind.

" _Oh, come now? Surely you can do better than that… I've heard rumors scatter quickly about how Cobalion's trainer has a Samurott that surpassed his evolutionary limit! Surely you can do the same, yes?"_ Terrakion again taunted, as Bianca growled a bit in response, a piercing spark of embers beginning to swirl around herself and Emboar. Emboar grunted as he fixated his gaze on Terrakion. Terrakion, though, was still unimpressed.

" _Come now… If you wish to catch me… you need to be serious… you need to EARN THAT RIGHT!"_ Terrakion said before beginning to charge towards the two. Bianca's anger rose to a breaking point at this.

 _ **"STOP IT NOW!"**_ Bianca, and some other, deeper but clear voice spoke in unison, as Emboar suddenly grabbed hold of Terrakion's head, holding the Legendary Pokémon in place as Emboar suddenly roared into the sky as his body began to shift in appearance as he was engulfed in a bright, fiery inferno.

"EMBOAR, SYNCRHONIZATION!" Bianca yelled, as Emboar unleashed the fiery inferno around himself to send Terrakion hurdling backwards, as the fiery blaze reignited around himself as his body began to bulk up in both muscle and stature; his legs developed into taller, more heavily built legs with sharper hooves, and his arms gained muscle to the point flames began to emerge from the elbows and a hump formed on Emboar's back to anchor the new muscle with. As his Synchro-Evolution began to talk the helm, Emboar's eyes changed from red to green to match those of Bianca's. In addition, a second pair of tusks began to emerge as his original pair grew to a larger, sharper look, while his lower jaw and upper chest became completely engulfed in flames to the point even his back began to emanate flames from them as well akin to a mane. As he braced himself to stand for combat, he stood much taller at a near perfect 8 foot stance when fully upright.

"Alright, Warlord-Emboar, let's show Terrakion what power we've truly got!" Bianca spoke up, as Warlord-Emboar, very suddenly and with surprising agility despite his increased size, moved to strike at Terrakion with a powerful kick from his newly beefed up legs, but Terrakion parried the blow and used its great strength to knock Terrakion back through a rocky cliff side. Running down the slope with the aid of both his hind legs and massive arms, Warlord-Emboar jumped up into the air before landing fully with a powerful punch to Terrakion's face, which as Terrakion attempted to parry again, was shoved backwards by the immense force of the attack.

"Now! While Terrakion is down! WARLOCK PUNCH!" Bianca called, as she readied an Ultra Ball from her bag. Warlord-Emboar, grasping a hold of Terrakion's face with his large hands, raised his right arm upwards as a shadowy energy forged around it in an ethereal flame, as he slammed Terrakion down into submission with the sudden force of a punch to its backside. Terrakion, grunting from the sudden strike, immediately sensed that Bianca was prepared to catch itself at any moment.

" _HOLD ON! HOLD ON!"_ Terrakion suddenly shouted, its tone rather sorrowful as it was pained due to the brutish Warlord-Emboar holding Terrakion down on the ground. Bianca, halting for a moment, froze a bit as she slowly began to calm herself down.

"… Why? Why me in particular? Was it because of your friends? Your comrades? You hated humans in the past… why are you so eager to join with us…?" Bianca asked from Terrakion, as Terrakion slowly tried to budge from its spot underneath Warlord-Emboar's massive arms, but just couldn't.

"… _You don't understand… When the war between humans and Pokémon had ended, we had hoped one day that both of our kinds would live in peace with each other… a man showed up and decided that was not how he had desired it, and thus it provoked Virizion into action… Cobalion followed suite as they both allowed themselves to be caught by your friends… They knew they were worthy of their trust in this mission to defend Unova from an upcoming threat…"_ Terrakion explained, as Bianca's frustration slowly began to calm down, as she, hesitantly, placed a gentle touch of her hand on Terrakion's large head.

"… Look… I sort of got carried away with trying to seek you out on purpose… but now I know that you three Legendary Pokémon have an actual reason for joining us… Tell me, please… is this man's name N?" Bianca had asked, as Terrakion slowly opened its eyes to look at her.

" _I do not know… but I already know one thing…"_ Terrakion said, as Bianca gently tapped the Ultra Ball against Terrakion, the more specialized Poké Ball type opening up and drawing Terrakion's large mass into it.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

" _That the one you are truly wishing to fight may not be the one you speak of…"_

**To Be Continued…**


	44. Chapter 43: Wannabe Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> N showcases that perhaps he isn't in the best of minds when he demonstrates odd behavior to Ash in which the latter had yet to truly see from him...

"Hey, guys, I'm heading on back, but I've got some news for you three." Bianca said over her Xtransceiver to Ash, Cheren, and Misty.

"Oh? Did you catch any interesting Pokémon?" Iris spoke up while butting in on Ash's end of the camera's view.

"… Wait, what's Iris doing there?" Bianca asked.

"We'll explain once you get back." Ash told Bianca, as Bianca nodded.

"Alright, but first thing I need to tell you all is that Terrakion had approached me like how Virizion approached Cheren and Cobalion to Ash, and now I had caught Terrakion as a result." Bianca explained, as Ash and Cheren blinked.

"Alright now this is getting fishy; three Pokémon known in legends for hating humans siding with the three of us in particular; is this a sign of something yet to come?" Cheren spoke up, as Bianca nodded.

"Aye. Terrakion mentioned how Unova is going to be facing an upcoming threat, and that it may relate to Team Plasma and N." Bianca added, as Ash sighed.

"Figured as such with him having the Light Stone and myself with the Dark Stone…" Ash silently spoke, as Cheren and Bianca both nodded, all the while Iris gasped.

"Oh my… You have the Dark Stone?! That means you're going to capture Zekrom at some point, right?!" Iris asked of Ash, turning him around to have him directly face her, all the while Misty stayed out of view and silently grinned a bit to herself. Ash, stuttering bit as Iris had held him in such close proximity, failed to realize how his own aura began to flow around himself.

"Well, yeah Iris; I'll more than likely have to catch Zekrom if N decides that his means of befriending me while still leading Team Plasma is to use Reshiram against me. Why, I thought you would've already-"

Cheren and Bianca both silently gasped to themselves as their faces had a small blush on them, the two of them watching as Iris kisses Ash on the cheek as Ash's mind seemed to have went blank from trying to figure out how to respond to that.

Iris, backing away while leaving Ash speechless, seemed to giggle a bit as she moved to carry Ash and lay him onto his bed in the room.

"Guess Misty didn't inform him of that bit, did she?" Iris spoke up, as Cheren and Bianca both looked at each other and nodded.

"Think those three might end up like your parents?" Bianca asked Cheren, as Cheren shrugged.

"Depends on how interaction with Iris goes between Ash and Misty. Right now, I think it's time for us to get some sleep." Cheren said, as Bianca arrived back at the Pokémon Center and entered their room, closing the door behind her as she yawned.

"Good idea…" Bianca said, taking Cheren's hand and calmly pecking him on the cheek as they both moved to prepare to head to bed. Ash's Pokémon, including the larger sized Cobalion, appeared from their Poké Balls once the humans began to fall asleep for the night. Altair, noticing their presence, slowly began to walk out from hiding in the bathroom.

" _Young Riolu… Why haven't you trained with Ash yet?"_ Cobalion asked of Altair, as Victini blinked.

 _ **(… Seriously? You're asking the not even a full day old Pokémon to train already?)**_ Victini asked of Cobalion.

" _Well didn't Pikachu battle a Mega Lucario when he was the same age?"_

 _ **(That's because he's a Pikachu, there's a difference.)**_ Victini spoke up. Cobalion tried to think of an answer, but quietly backed out of the conversation. Samurott and Unfezant looked towards each other; they felt rather odd how they were the only ones aside from Pikachu that they still recognized among Ash's team. Unfezant looked slightly nervous but otherwise calm, but Samurott remained stoic and calm altogether.

Pikachu, meanwhile, slowly approached Altair, "Pika?" Pikachu asked of Altair, all the while Altair slowly responded with small, dog-like vocals. The two of them began talking to each other to themselves, as Victini and Unfezant retreated back into their respective Poké Balls for the night. Cobalion stayed still, but nevertheless returned to his Poké Ball as well, as did Samurott.

Ash was confused as to why his Pokémon appeared out of their Poké Balls without his command, but did notice that they were right about Altair; he would need to figure out a good time to train him, but at his current condition in the aftermath of Hilbert, he just was too drained to really sneak out tonight and train him.

"Ash?" Iris asked, her voice unusually quiet and softer than how she was moments ago. Ash, looking over towards her, noticed Iris beginning to blush a little as she averted his gaze.

"Yes, Iris?" Ash asked, as Cheren quietly looked over towards Ash for a brief moment.

"M-May I-I… I mean… I don't want to feel selfish at all, b-but…" Iris tried to say, before being shushed by Ash at such a close proximity that her blush intensified.

"Calm down… Please?" Ash spoke to her, before adding in "Do you want to take the bed for tonight and I'll just sleep on the floor?" Ash offered, as Iris' eyes widened a little.

' _No, no no no! He's not even going to remotely take the selfless way out of this! He doesn't deserve that kind of treatment!'_ Iris thought, as she struggled to say something to Ash. Before she could anything, though, Misty had already called out Starmie and had the Mysterious Pokémon lift Iris up into the air, laying her on the bed closest to the wall, and then doing the same with Ash, placing him in the center of the bed. Misty herself, meanwhile, took up the remainder of the bed on the other side of Ash.

Iris blushed immensely from this, but after a calm, reassuring hand rested upon her from both Ash and Misty, she calmed down significantly and slowly moved to close her eyes and fall asleep. Cheren, watching the whole ordeal, silently thought to himself about how exactly Ash's future with Misty would turn out if Iris began to grow closer to the two of them, but dropped the thoughts for now as he got into his and Bianca's bed and quietly embraced Bianca as he tried to fall asleep.

Bianca, meanwhile, was already slowly falling asleep, but awoke just enough to quietly ask Cheren something; "Will those three be alright?" Bianca whispered, as Cheren looked as her and sighed, brushing a stray hair out of the way of Bianca's face.

"I'm not sure… I just hope all three of them have their own happy ending together…" Cheren whispered back, as Bianca quietly giggled.

"So you want them to end up like your own parents on that, eh?" Bianca asked with a hint of mischief in her tone. Cheren, though, didn't bother to comment; simply dragging Bianca into a quick, but passionate, kiss to help them both fall asleep; Bianca moving to rest her head against Cheren's chest as they did.

Misty had quickly fallen asleep herself, all the while Ash was still silently awake to himself. Even though he felt alright, something he was noticing about himself felt… uncertain. He thought to himself about his past experiences as a Pokémon Trainer thus far, and also his experiences as an Aura Sage in training. He thought about how, after all of this time, he hasn't actually lost a battle against anybody just yet, even if by a normal trainer's standpoint he would've lost had it not been for his Aura.

He took into account how much his Aura saved him at too many occasions; his battle against Elesa was one he had relied too much on luck and his faith in Aura to win, and his unexpected reward in the form of Warlord-Samurott had turned what would've been a one-sided match against any other trainer into a curb-stomp battle in his favor.

Then he took into account how, even though he's acquired four badges and acquired various Pokémon, he only seems to have focused on training his own Pokémon that inherently had a strong power to them. Indeed, even his friends seemed to have neglected training some of their Pokémon; then again, though, he didn't know what exactly they had in mind for personal goals anymore at this point.

Then there was the obvious in the form of Altair and how he was going to raise him. Altair is still very young, and unlike Pikachu, doesn't appear to outright benefit from some form of early bloomer type of power. Admittedly he hadn't had the chance to outright use Altair in battle just yet, but even then; how does he know if simply assuming Altair is powerful based off of what Regulus had to say in advance is such a good idea? How does he know that if he had simply used Altair in his battle against Clay, that Altair's potential strength alone would be enough to win?

Ash had so many things on his mind at the moment regarding his own behavior as a trainer that he slowly began to feel himself fall asleep after spending what seemed like an hour just thinking to himself about his potential future as a trainer or Aura Sage.

_As he had fallen asleep, Ash began to see a familiar sight before him, but not a pleasant one; the cave in which he had previously seen as to indicate Sirius' death, and had also seen previously when Pikachu was merely an egg. Ash could practically feel like he was actually here this time, though, and the feeling had rather unnerved him a little too much; something about this whole area gave off a bad signal to him._

_Within a moment's notice, Ash's eyes widened when he felt an unusual presence just behind him. He couldn't even attempt to turn around and look, as when he had tried, he could always feel his own body hold himself in place._

" _Alright, Aldith, if that's you hiding behind me, show yourself!" Ash shouted, as out from behind Ash and within rather close proximity to his face appeared a specter of sorts much like before… but whatever pleasant feeling the previous specter had was completely gone in this particular one._

_**"I͠ h͠a͟v́e ̡so͘m͞et̴híng you dèşire͟.͢.́.͠ ͟F̛o̕r ̵y͢o̢ur ͟ow̵n̡ Pika̶ch͡u̷.҉.͢.̸"͘** _

_The specter's voice was audibly painful to Ash's senses, as the voice sounded like it was shifting between a younger version of Ash's own voice, and then mixing in a deeper voice alongside it accompanied by an incredibly harsh, static-like noise filter._

_Ash, meanwhile, could simply gaze at the specter in fright. He didn't even realize until after the fact that a second specter emerged and forcefully pushed the hostile one into the wall. The specter, appearing to be the original specter from the previous dream, slowly took on the form of a Pokémon which Ash didn't immediately recognize; having a single eye, a dark gray and gold color palette, and a mouth located on its belly._

_The Pokémon didn't appear to speak at all, not even a small hint of any kind of voice was present. The rather freakish specter that Ash saw first in this particular dream simply let out a harsh sounding chuckle._

_**"͜Don't͡ ̕y͟o̴u ͜se͏e.̕.̸.͠? H̢è'͞s ̴jus̛t͘ ̴ĺike hiś f͝at̡h̴er̢.́.͜. ͡No͟t ̸ye̸t,̛ pe̢r̶haps...́ B͢u̴t̴ ̷h̛e wi͝l͜l ͏e͏v͏entuaļl͠ý g̕ain ͝t̶he͜ ͏s҉a̸m̶e̵ a͢rr̀oga̷nce t̢ha̶t͏ l͝e̸d ̷t̨o his͝ ́fa̧t̶he̛r͟'̵s͠ d͜em̨ìse.͞..͞"̕** _

_Within a split second, the specter suddenly grew in size as a close-up of its simplistic yet flickering face was shown before Ash, as a loud screech of sorts that flickered on and off as Ash eventually recovered from the recoil of the shriek to look in front of him as the specter was out of sight again, and the electrical rocks surging with electricity. Before Ash's sights, though, he could see the disturbing sight of his own Pokémon all collapsed while Ash saw the specter slowly begin to emerge again in a larger form._

" _Samurott! Pikachu! Altair! Unfezant! Victini! Cobalion! Get up! Please…!" Ash yelled out, practically screaming from the fear his body felt now. Even though he had screamed out their names, though, he couldn't even seem to hear himself actually say their names at all._

_**"O̷͡҉ne̸͞ d̸̀á̕͏y̴̵͞ ́r͢e҉͘̕m̵a̵͘͡ì͝ni̴̶͘n̷̡g̴, ͢͟͠a͞n̕d҉͏ ̴̢y̡o̷ư̡ ̷̕sh̡̢͢al̶̛l͞ h̴̸̨av̴e̸ ̀w̴h̷a̢̕͠t͝ ͘͢r͢͟͠i̷̵͝g̀҉̛h͠t͟f̀͢͝u͠ll͡y̷͞ ̵be͘͡l͜o̧͡n͟g̴s͜ ͟t͢o ̨͡y͢óu̡.̵̀͜.͢.͟͏͡"̸** _

Ash woke up rather quickly after that; his eyes wide as he was breathing heavily from the shock of that nightmare. Without directly seeing her, Bianca's Musharna was seen floating back over towards Bianca and Cheren's bed, a small amount of black smoke visible in the air indicating that Musharna had helped Ash to wake up from that nightmarish experience.

Ash, glancing around the room, noticed everyone was still asleep; looking at a clock on the wall, it was around 3:51 in the morning. Ash didn't figure anybody would've been awake aside from Musharna; that didn't stop him from seeing Altair standing in the center of the room, staring directly towards one of the windows in the room.

' _As much as I hate the prospect of this hindering myself even further due to using aura so soon… I need to get outside for a moment for some fresh air with Altair…'_ Ash thought to himself, slowly and carefully moving to get out of bed. Reaching for his bag and taking out his heirloom of a cape and gloves, he quietly put them on as he briefly considered swapping out his hat with Sirius' own hat as well. He paused for a moment; did he even feel truly worthy of wearing any of Sirius' wardrobe at all?

Regardless, though, he decided to take out the rest of the uniform including the hat and changed into it. He didn't know whether he truly needed it or not, but something about Altair was beginning to convince him that this outfit would come in handy. _((Come on, Altair; let's go out for some air.))_ Ash told the small Pokémon, as Altair looked up at him and nodded. Ash quietly opened the door, watching as Altair, at an insane speed, quickly moved out of the room and towards outside, as Ash quietly shut the door behind him and followed Altair.

As Ash walked outside, he found Altair in a small, grassless patch of land in Driftveil City. Altair was busy attempting to pull off some maneuvers to try and channel aura through his body, but not even a spark seemed to ignite around Altair.

 _((Maybe you need to slow down a little first…))_ Ash spoke to Altair, as Altair quietly squeaked.

 _((I just feel like something is bothering you, so I wanted to try and train to make you feel better…))_ Altair said to Ash, constantly trying to punch and kick at the air, but only managing to kick up dust into the air and managing to knock himself off of his feet. Ash, sighing at the sight of Altair goofing up, walked over to sit down by him, as Altair silently growled a bit, though it didn't even sound remotely intimidating.

 _((Regulus did a better job with letting his anger show, trust me…))_ Ash spoke up, as Altair blinked, moving to stand as he wasn't exactly calmed down just yet.

_((How? He didn't seem all that mean when I saw him in my dreams when I was just an egg…))_

_((I see… I think now would probably be a good time to tell you of how I had first met him.))_ Ash spoke up, as Altair slowly looked over towards his trainer with interest.

_((… Go on.))_

_((… Well, for starters… Regulus was rather hostile when I had first met him, even going as far as to attack me directly without any of my Pokémon capable of putting up much of a fight back then.))_ Ash began to tell Altair, as the young Riolu blinked.

 _((Why did he try and attack you…?))_ Altair asked, as Ash shrugged.

 _((To be honest, considering he managed to knock me out for no less than two days after that, I can't recall if he did so out of frustration or if he had anything on his mind that was actually important.))_ Ash answered, as Altair sighed a bit.

 _((… Do you think I'll ever be like him?))_ Altair asked, not realizing Ash looked partially away at the moment.

 _((It depends on which part of him you're wanting to become... but if it's as strong as him, I will try my best to train you to his level at some point over my life…))_ Ash said, as Altair paused for a moment to think.

 _((… By the way, I've been meaning to ask now… How did I get my name?))_ Altair brought up, as Ash slowly, but carefully tilted Altair's head to face up into the night sky, as Ash looked up as well.

 _((Stars. Various stars were the basis of names for various Aura Partners before you; Regulus was named after one, his mother Arcturus was named after one, and so on and so forth. I chose your name in particular based off of a particular star in the night sky I always tended to see at this specific time in the very early morning.))_ Ash explained, as Altair stared up into the night sky and his eyes widened.

Slowly moving to walk over towards where the Driftveil Bridge is, Altair glanced over and noticing a small, bluish glow beginning to become visible over the horizon. Altair blinked, trying to gaze upon the small glimmer of a sunrise that was visible. Ash, noticing what Altair was looking at, wasn't entirely certain as to how to respond just yet.

 _((… Altair…?))_ Ash asked, as Altair remained quiet.

 _((… No evolution yet… We're not close enough it seems…))_ Altair spoke up, as Ash blinked, before nodding in understanding as he moved to stand.

 _((I see… We'll both need a stronger bond with each other before you can evolve into Lucario, right?))_ Ash asked Altair, as the Emanation Pokémon nodded. Altair sighed in a bit of disappointment, as Ash carefully moved to pick him up.

 _((Come on; let's head back inside so we can get some more sleep.))_ Ash spoke to Altair, calmly tapping a finger to Altair's chest and noticing a small pulse of aura emanate from the contact. Altair made some small vocals that sounded like giggling, all the while Ash warmly smiled as he was quickly alerted to someone's presence when he felt the hair on the back of his head stand a little, slowly turning around and noticing N was watching him, with a bipedal, Crocodile-like Pokémon by his side.

"… N?" Ash asked, as his voice hesitantly turned a more hostile turn, remembering what N's words were the last time they saw each other, plus the whole fact Ash is the King of Team Plasma.

"… So you've changed your uniform…" N mentioned, as Ash blinked.

"… It's just a temporary thing, because I don't deserve this outfit outright." Ash told N, as he slowly walked to the left as N remained quiet.

"Maybe it's because you're not one who wants to die." N spoke, moving towards the left as both he and Ash maintained eye contact with each other. N's Pokémon followed suit, all the while Altair jumped out of Ash's arms to keep a wary eye on N's Pokémon.

"I'm not planning on making the same mistakes as my dad, N." Ash told him, not even realizing right away that N had brought up his father like that.

"Well at least I'm not actively wanting to put Pokémon in danger by actively battling with them." N told Ash.

"And yet you still do so anyways, hypocrite; Poké Balls and everything as well." Ash responded back.

"I only do so to keep myself safe from Genesect, but you simply do it to simply earn fame and fortune."

"Just because of the televised Gym Battle yesterday that doesn't mean anything because-"

"Because your father made the exact same mistake." N brought up, as Ash quieted down.

"… W-What do you mean?"

"Ash, do you even realize what's going to happen if you keep going down the same path as your own father?" N asked as Ash remained quiet for a moment.

"… Why do you know…?"

"Oh, about your father dying in Chargestone Cave? The Pokémon in the area have told me about that infamous incident years ago all because of you invoking his presence with that uniform. Do you want to know the true cause of his death?" N inquired, as Ash remained silent again but eventually responded.

"… Go on."

"Ash, unless Zekrom truly acknowledges you as a Hero, you're not going to avoid the same fate as your father with your slowly but most certainly budding ego; because eventually that will be the cause of your own death, which neither of us wants." N spoke, as Ash calmed his nerves a little bit.

"… I'm listening…" Ash spoke up, as he reached for a Poké Ball from his belt to send out a Pokémon with.

"Look, Ash; if you don't calm your own passions down with how your current progress is, you'll just wind up developing the same arrogance that your father did and die because of it." N explained, as Ash called out Unfezant from her Poké Ball.

"… Why don't we finish what we had intended to resolve back at Nimbasa City before we got interrupted?" Ash brought up, as N chuckled a bit.

"As if it'll solve anything; but go ahead; see if you can defeat Krokorok here without any sort of tricks involving Aura this time!" N spoke up, jumping back as he made room for the charging Krokorok towards Unfezant, with the Proud Pokémon leapt up into the air to evade an attack, as Krokorok immediately slammed its fists down into the ground to send large spires of rocks form upwards to strike Unfezant, as Unfezant managed to get hit by some of the debris flying into the air, shrieking out in pain from the attack.

"Unfezant!" Ash called out, all the while looking down at Krokorok with anger. "Counterattack with Steel Wing!" Ash called out towards Unfezant, as she stabilized her flight as she circled around from further behind Krokorok and began to fly forward with her wings glowing in a fierce metallic glow.

Krokorok, though, almost instantly grabbed a hold of Unfezant's head to stop her mid-attack without having to move any further to do so.

' _Lord N, you speak like you do but are no different from Ash is; are you certain you are as perfect as you had claimed to be?'_ Krokorok spoke towards N, as N blinked.

"What do you mean…?" N spoke up, his tone not as hostile as it was before.

"Wait why did I hear Krokorok speak myself there?" Ash brought up, as Krokorok didn't acknowledge Ash's commented and paid attention solely on N; also ignoring the fact Unfezant's wings were beginning to glow with a more divine glow as she raised her wings up in preparation.

"Hold on… You heard him speak?" N asked Ash, as Ash slowly nodded.

' _I do not see what is so special about this.'_ Krokorok added in.

"Because I can understand what Pokémon say due to having been raised by your kind! All the way from when I was very young to even after my father showed up! I don't see how or why Ash should be able to understand an ordinary Pokémon such as-"

Before N could finish, though, Unfezant was quick to take advantage of Krokorok's lack of focus on her to strike a massive burst of energy with her wings down onto Krokorok, causing the Desert Croc Pokémon to let go of Unfezant and get knocked backwards quite a bit.

"Krokorok!" N yelled out in worry, as before the dust cleared, he looked directly towards Ash; "See what I mean now? This is what happens when you force someone like me down to your own level! You'll only end up with hurt, innocent Pokémon no different from Krokor-" N began to rant towards Ash, but when the dust cleared around Krokorok, N gasped as he was completely regretting things he had said.

As Krokorok showed himself from the dust, some of his scales were torn away and revealed metallic plating underneath, as well as part of his face exposing rather obvious robotics in his entire frame. N stuttered, lost for words as he didn't believe what he was seeing. As quickly as the robotics were revealed underneath Krokorok's normal-looking scales, the outer covering was immediately regenerating to cover up the cybernetics just as quickly as they were made known.

'… _Lord N? I do not feel it is wise for me to stay in your misguided state… Would you prefer I leave?'_ Krokorok asked, as N eventually got to a response to Krokorok's question.

"Yes! Yes actually! Now that I know you're not all that different from Genesect, sure! Go ahead and join Ash!" N called out Krokorok for, as Ash stepped in between N and Krokorok.

"Hey, hey! Calm down here, alright?! I know the idea of Krokorok being robotic is surprising and all, but how do you know that this immediately makes him as psychotic as Genesect just for that alone?!" Ash called N out on, as N didn't even bother to answer, slowly beginning to walk off all the while crushing the Poké Ball that had once been used for Krokorok.

"Look… I need some time to myself… I apologize for my outburst on all of this, Ash; I just thought that perhaps trying to provoke you would let me awaken Reshiram… clearly I was wrong…" N said, before slowly walking off and out of sight of Ash, Unfezant, and Krokorok. Altair had remained quiet in all of this; simply having chosen to watch how the whole thing played out.

' _Removing all previous reminders and programming from Team Plasma… completed…'_ Krokorok spoke, before his voice began to go quiet for a moment. Ash, meanwhile, softened his gaze and calmed down by walking over to Krokorok.

"Hey… I don't feel in any right to know exactly how you got created as a robot… but… regardless… would you be willing to join my side since you probably wouldn't have anywhere to go?" Ash asked of Krokorok, watching closely as the Desert Croc Pokémon slowly turned his gaze up to face Ash's own. Krokorok's gaze looked saddened from how exactly N had snapped at him, but slowly began to reassure himself upon looking at Ash.

'… _Proceed.'_ Krokorok spoke up, as Ash took out a Poké Ball and tapped Krokorok lightly with it, watching as Krokorok was drawn in just like any other Pokémon before the Poké Ball closed.

_One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*_

**To Be Continued…**


	45. Chapter 44: Calm before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash's friends slowly begin to wake up early in the morning. Iris has some feelings she begins to quietly reveal, and N apparently has a plan in store for Ash once they prepare to head to Mistralton City later in the day...

As the Poké Ball stopped shaking and clicked to signal Krokorok's catch, Ash sighed to himself as he watched as the Poké Ball converted into a data-like structure before vanishing. Ash, realizing what would happen next, looked over at Altair and Unfezant.

 _((Was that N? He sounded rather… losing it?))_ Altair asked Ash, as Ash blinked.

_((… What do you mean?))_

_((I don't quite know, but it sounded like he just got done seeing something that horrified him before he showed himself here…))_ Altair brought up, as Ash sighed and grabbed the other four Poké Balls on his belt.

 _((Still, it doesn't exactly excuse his behavior towards Krokorok. Speaking of which…))_ Ash spoke, before sending out Samurott, Pikachu, Victini, and Cobalion into the open, watching as all of them appeared but Krokorok was nowhere to be found. In fact, Krokorok's Poké Ball had seemingly vanished as well.

Ash, normally, would've been surprised, but now a memory about the reason was heading back to him.

"Alright, let's check in with the PC Virtual Pokémon Ranch. Both Petilil and Krokorok may need checked up on." Ash spoke up, as he recalled his Pokémon into their Poké Balls with the exception of Altair, and walked back inside to the Pokémon Center.

Ash, upon arriving, walked over towards the public use PC and turned it on. Upon booting it up, he clicked on the application called "Amanita's PC", where Ash logged into it to check on his two Pokémon from storage. While Petilil and Krokorok were present and okay, what Ash also found inside alarmed him immediately.

WarGreymon had somehow ended up in his particular Pokémon Storage.

"What the?"

"Oh? The twerp finally arrives." WarGreymon finally spoke for once, speaking in this rough, somewhat scratchy but distinctly female voice. Moving to stand, WarGreymon looked towards the screen where Ash would've been. "You and your other friends had caused me quite a bit of trouble back with that Hoopa guy, you know that, right?" WarGreymon asked, as Ash blinked.

"But that was Hilbert's fault! We don't even know what you even are!" Ash spoke up, as WarGreymon chuckled.

"I admire the bravery there, kid; but never let a man do a woman's job here." WarGreymon spoke up, as it moved to stand up and look directly towards Ash from within the PC.

"Wait… Woman? You're a girl?" Ash asked, as WarGreymon chuckled.

"Yes. Yes I am. Was it not obvious due to my stereotypical masculine appearance?" WarGreymon asked, as she added, "The name is Flare, by the way." Flare introduced, leaving Ash a bit confused.

"So… Flare… Why are you here?" Ash asked, as Altair glanced at the screen and glared a bit.

 _((Who is this? Is this the girl that had tried to kill Samurott?!))_ Altair asked Ash, his anger silent but otherwise present. Ash, moving to pet Altair to calm him down, looked over towards Flare again.

"I apologize if you heard that, but you had tried to kill me and my Pokémon when you were under Hilbert's control." Ash told Flare, as Flare sighed.

"I see… So that Master Ball wasn't a fluke then, huh? I kind of figured it shouldn't have logically worked on me but it appears Hoopa had modified it just for me…" Flare brought up, as Ash blinked.

"What is a Master Ball anyways?" Ash asked.

"A Master Ball is a type of Poké Ball that is guaranteed to catch a Pokémon with; it normally shouldn't work at all on a Digimon like myself, but it apparently was modified with me in mind." Flare said, as Ash's eyes widened a bit.

"… Digimon? What is that?"

"You'll find out more in due time, but now, I must prepare to take my leave back to my home dimension." Flare said, as Krokorok and Petilil eyed Flare from within the VR Ranch. In mere seconds, Flare opened up a portal of sorts that lead into a much more hi-tech version of the digital environment as a whole.

"Take care, Ash Ketchum, and let justice be served for the both of us. Just be extremely careful of Hoopa; it has the ability to warp people's minds to its own will…" Flare said, moving to bow to Ash in respect, before taking her leave by jumping into the portal as the portal closed instantly upon her exit.

_((…))_

_((Altair?))_ Ash asked.

_((… Yeah?))_

_((You did good with keeping calm there.))_

_((Thanks…))_

Ash, hearing a noise not far off, looked over and saw Iris walking out of the bedroom and walking over towards Ash; she looked so heavily sleepy that she barely had her eyes open.

"H-Hey… Nurse Joy? Is there a drink of water I could have real quick?" Iris asked, her voice even sounding sleepy as well. Ash, noticing Iris' request and even though he isn't Nurse Joy in the slightest, took a bottle of water out of his back to his side and gave it to Iris.

"Thanks…" Iris said, moving to open the bottle and take a drink from it. Slowly but calmly sipping away at the refreshing water, Iris slowly began to wake up a bit more as she looked in front of her and noticed it was Ash who was in front of her and not Nurse Joy.

"O-Oh… OH!" Iris said, backing away a bit in surprise as she just barely avoided coughing while drinking, as she looked at Ash with a fiery red blush on her face. "I-I didn't see you there… How long were you out here?" Iris asked, as Ash blinked.

"At least half an hour or so… Why?" Ash answered, as Iris calmed down and nodded, moving to sit on a bench not far from the PC. Ash, being quick to deposit Victini into the PC and withdraw Petilil, moved to sit beside Iris when he was finished. "Is something wrong?" he had asked.

Iris, blinking in surprise when Ash sat next to her, looked away and blushed shyly. "N-Nothing…" she spoke, before whispering, "I'm just a smitten teenage girl who had fallen for a guy she barely knows yet so quickly…" Iris added in as a whisper, but Ash was quick to catch onto it.

"I see… So were you just thirsty when you had come out here?" Ash asked her, as Iris nodded.

"Y-Yeah I, er, didn't really pack any food or drinks with me when I had flown out here with Latias to meet up with you and your friends." Iris spoke up, as Ash brought out his Pokédex real quick.

"Latias, the Eon Legendary Pokémon. Latias is highly intelligent and capable of understanding human speech. It is covered with a glass-like down. The Pokémon enfolds its body with its down and refracts light to alter its appearance." The Pokédex explained, showing a white, Draconid Pokémon with a red coloration to it on the screen; Latios, which Hilbert had used yesterday, was blue in comparison.

"I see…" Ash finally responded, as Iris had watched Ash's Pokédex with glee.

"Wow… I didn't know that technology had advanced to such a point like this…" Iris said, as she looked over at Ash again and blushed. Without their knowledge just yet, Misty had walked out of the bedroom and was watching Ash and Iris silently, slowly beginning to smile a bit as to their interactions.

"… H-Hey… Ash? Can I ask a personal favor?" Iris asked, as Ash looked over at her and blinked.

"What is it?" Ash answered.

"C-Could you be my first kiss?" Iris had asked, as Ash's eyes widened as he blushed as well, his eyes glancing over towards Misty whom he had just noticed. Misty, looking over at Ash, gave him an approving nod to do so if he desired.

"A-Are you sure, Iris?" Ash asked the dark skinned girl, as Iris nodded.

"Y-Yes…" Iris said, closing her eyes with anticipation. Ash, calmly and carefully, moved to lace his hand with Iris' own, Iris doing the same to calm herself down, as Ash moved to kiss Iris on the lips. It wasn't exactly passionate, but it wasn't a quick kiss either; it lasted just as long as it would naturally need to for Iris' request to be fulfilled.

Breaking the kiss and looking at Iris, Ash blinked when he noticed Iris staring at him with a calm gaze. Misty, walking up to the both of them, moved to quickly peck Iris on the cheek, before moving to kiss Ash on the lips as well. While the kiss was short, it was passionate enough between Ash and Misty to reassure each other that Iris being with them wasn't a bad thing to either of them.

"W-Why?" Iris asked Misty, as Misty looked over at Iris again; perhaps she didn't get the message, so Misty motioned to kiss Iris on the lips as well, Iris' eyes widening in surprise but letting herself get drawn into the kiss happily.

"Wow you three seem to be repeating history based off of my own parents aren't ya?" Cheren's voice suddenly interrupted, as Ash, Misty, and Iris all looked over towards Cheren in surprise, each of them having a different blush of embarrassment on their faces.

"Well, he isn't exactly wrong…" Ash whispered to Misty and Iris, as Iris threw a pillow she was carrying at Ash playfully, the softness of the pillow leading to Ash drawing both Misty and Iris into a hug. Cheren, watching the whole thing, silently took a photograph of the three on his Xtransceiver. Bianca, slowly leaving the bedroom, looked over towards Ash.

"Should we get started with going to meet Clay?" Bianca asked, as Altair blinked.

"He's still asleep." Altair spoke, as Iris was surprised a bit by Altair's sudden speech. Altair, noticing Iris' shocked expression, didn't seem to realize that he spoke out loud instead of using Aura Speak to tell that information to Ash.

"Um… As you were saying, Altair?" Ash asked, hoping Altair would get what he had just done.

"I said, Clay is still asleep at an hour like this; it's not even 5 in the morning, go figure." Altair spoke up, as Ash, Cheren, Bianca, Misty, and Iris all nodded. Hearing the sound of another bedroom door opening up, the group looked over to see "The Kid" and Giselle walking out of the bedroom in a rather klutzy fashion with The Kid keeping them both stable.

"Relax now, Giselle, we just woke up…" The Kid spoke, as Giselle eventually answered with a giggle.

"Don't worry, Billy, I was just going to ask some trainers sometime this morning if they were willing to trade any of their Pokémon for my Cottonee is all." Giselle spoke up, as The Kid, apparently named Billy, looked over towards Ash's group and blinked.

"Oh, you guys are here still? I figured you guys would've already been in Mistralton City by this point. Either way, long time no see isn't it?" Billy asked, as Ash nodded.

"Well long time since I've seen you, but Cheren and Bianca told me that they've bumped into you every now and then?" Ash asked, as Billy nodded.

"So how's Giselle been treating you? Has she felt better about her confidence and such?" Ash asked, as Giselle nodded.

"Yeah, I've been doing fine now that Billy's my gi- boyfriend!" Giselle had caught herself off there, as Billy blinked a bit.

"Seriously? You're intending on waiting to tell them still?" Billy whispered to Giselle, as Giselle nodded.

"Well you're the one who had said if you had bumped into Ash you wanted to personally introduce him to your parents from Kanto!" Giselle whispered back, as Billy nodded.

"Good point." He whispered, before looking over towards Ash and his group of friends.

"So, would either of you like to trade Pokémon with Giselle since you five are here?" Billy had asked.

"Um… Are you sure they're okay with it? I mean I don't know if-"

"Yeah, I'm game for it." Ash spoke up, taking a Poké Ball out and opening it to reveal Petilil, whose vocals were silent but sounded like a gentle breeze.

Drawing Petilil back into her Poké Ball, Ash looked over towards Giselle. "You said you had a Cottonee, yes? I was actually looking for one of those back at Pinwheel Forest, but I had found Petilil instead and decided to wait and see if I could find anybody to trade her over to in exchange for a Cottonee." Ash spoke up, as Giselle nodded.

Billy, carefully giving Giselle a gentle nudge to Ash's direction, watched as Giselle walked up towards Ash as Ash stood up to face her.

Both of them throwing their respective Poké Balls up into the air, the Poké Balls both glowed as they had circled around each other, before the opposite Poké Ball landed in the hands of their new trainer.

Ash, opening up his new Poké Ball to look at the small, fluffy and leaved Pokémon known as Cottonee, with Giselle looking over at her leaf covered Petilil from Ash, both trainers nodded to each other in respect.

"I'm glad you're doing so well now, Giselle." Ash said, as he moved to sit back down with Misty and Iris, taking a deep breath and sighing.

"Same here, you sly dog…" Giselle giggled, referring to Iris and Misty's attention on Ash, before moving to walk away with Billy to train their Pokémon together.

Ash, sitting down and nearly dozing off, was quick to speak up towards his friends.

"We'll get some extra rest, train a bit, and then go see Clay for our gym battle. After that, we'll begin to leave for Mistralton City once we've all got our badges." Ash told them, as Cheren and Bianca nodded.

"Understood."

_**Meanwhile…** _

N was walking around on the outskirts of Driftveil City, shivering in not cold, but fright, as he moved to find a place to sit down and calm himself down. Looking around, he saw nobody in sight to try and talk to; not even Pokémon show their faces around here just yet.

"What have I done…? Did I overdo my own beliefs there…?" N had asked himself, as he drew out the Light Stone from his bag, as he looked at it and tried to concentrate his thoughts.

"Am I still blind to the truth?" N had asked the Light Stone.

No response.

"… Reshiram, are you even willing to talk to me…?" N had asked. Once again, not a single response.

"… Perhaps, then…" N said, moving to stand up and look around real quick.

"Perhaps I'll need to find another chance to talk to Ash…" N spoke up, as he snapped his fingers and before him appeared three, white haired, robust men who looked familiar.

"What do you ask of us, Lord N?" The Shadow Triad spoke in unison, their voices eerily monotone in sound compared to before.

"Spy on Ash and his friends; when they arrive at Chargestone Cave on their inevitable path to Mistralton city, bring Ash to me privately and make sure none of his friends interfere. Do you understand?" N had asked, as the Shadow Triad were silent for a moment.

"… Understood." The Triad spoke, before vanishing into thin air.

**To Be Continued…**


	46. Chapter 45: Quake Badge: Rounds 1 and 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Clay proves to be interesting for a start; instead of Cheren and Bianca facing him separately, they'll both be facing him at once.

As Ash's friends had gotten an hour or so of rest after having awoken so early in the morning, Ash, Cheren, and Bianca had begun to train for their challenge against Clay. Ash was out in the field outside of the Pokémon Center, with Unfezant out of her Poké Ball as Misty, Iris, and Altair both watched.

Unfezant was flying through the air, boosting through great speeds while aiming and striking training targets with her wings forging into metallic blades to attack with. Colliding with her targets for a direct hit, Unfezant flew around in a 180 degree turn around towards Ash. Ash, in response to Unfezant's movements, kicked up his aura around himself to power up Unfezant.

"Alright, let's begin with our next challenge! Cottonee, I choose you!" Ash called, sending out Cottonee as he pulled out something from his bag, as Iris had her attention caught by seeing what it was; an orange colored object in the form of a Sun Stone. "Are you ready to evolve, Cottonee?" Ash asked the small Pokémon, as Cottonee cheered up brightly and made cutesy, purring sounds.

"Alright, let's go!" Ash called, sending the Sun Stone up into the air as Cottonee floated up to make contact with it, before becoming encompassed in a bright glow that began to alter Cottonee's shape almost entirely. Developing a small, brown body with small limbs and a set of green, goat-like horns on the side of its head and a cotton puff on its back, Cottonee fully emerged from the bright light as its final form.

"Now then; Whimsicott! Counter Shield with Hurricane! Unfezant! Sky Attack!" Ash gave orders, as Unfezant flew around in the air to charge up energy around herself, all the while Whimsicott began to spin around with a fierce intensity to where powerful gale wings began to surround itself almost entirely. Unfezant, not wanting to disappoint Ash, flew upwards as the winds proved to be too strong from the side, before flying all the way above the wind currents and diving down through the center.

"Now! Right on cue! Whimsicott, collapse Hurricane onto Unfezant!" Ash called, as Whimsicott grinned a bit before suddenly causing the entire force of gale winds to collide into each other inwards and ensnare Unfezant into them, causing immense damage to the Normal/Flying Pokémon that resulted in Unfezant getting knocked out of plain sight, all the way towards the northern part of Driftveil City.

"… Whoops… I think she did a little too well there with that Hurricane…" Ash spoke up, before he realized something he didn't notice before; he was using only his weakest stage of Aura Mode, which in of itself wouldn't surprise him. But since he was still dressed in his father's outfit, however, he noticed that, instead of covering his whole body, the aura only covered over his hands instead where the gloves were.

"... Interesting…" Iris silently spoke about Ash's control over Aura, before quickly moving to stand alongside Misty. "We should probably go get Unfezant out of trouble with Clay now that she got launched in that direction." Iris said to Ash, as Ash nodded.

"… Good point…" Ash groaned, as Misty blinked and Iris' eyes partially opened a bit further to a more awake expression.

"… Wait. You already know what to expect?" Iris asked of Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Yeeeah my mom kind of gave me brief descriptions of the gym leaders when I was younger; she didn't have a lot of nice things to say about Clay, much of it involving bad words." Ash spoke up, before beginning to run up ahead to meet up to where Clay would be. Iris and Misty followed suit, as did Altair at a much faster speed than either of the three combined despite his much younger age and stature.

Arriving at a building at the northern part of the city which looked like the top most floor of an excavation facility, Ash could tell already that his gym battle against Clay would probably take place below ground. Cheren and Bianca, already on the scene, did not appear to even seem remotely be enjoying what exactly Clay was saying.

"And furthermore, what do you youngsters do when a trainer's Pokémon flies over to my feet in a crash landing from training? Do you simply assume I would pick her up all on my own or would you two be so kind as to pick up your friend's Pokémon all on your own without me having to order you to? Because if I have to go on about this any further-"

Clay's speech was interrupted when Ash arrived on the scene and picked up the crashed Unfezant off of the ground and tended to her wounds with a potion, as Unfezant woke up a bit from the dazed state she was in. Whimsicott, floating up to Unfezant, simply let out a giggling type of noise in response to the rather hostile chirping Unfezant gave off towards her.

"… Alright who is this kid and why is he dressed like the old fool from a little less than two decades ago?" Clay asked, as Cheren sighed a bit in annoyance.

"As I was trying to tell you; this is our friend, Ash Ketchum." Cheren introduced Ash while the latter was busy tending to Unfezant. Ash, calling Unfezant and Whimsicott back to their Poké Balls as Altair stood in front of Ash and glanced up at Clay. Clay, to say the least, was rather stunned by Ash and Altair's entry to the scene.

"… Oh shit you're Sirius' son." Clay spoke in a rather deadpan but otherwise shocked tone. As the group eyed Clay, he quickly took a step back and slammed the door to the building shut for a moment. Making a quick call on his Xtransceiver to Drayden next to a PC, Clay was beginning to visibly panic about Ash at the moment.

"Okay, Drayden, I could've sworn I told you I would simply give him the badge outright! None of my Pokémon are strong enough to face him in a proper fight!" Clay spoke up, as Drayden pressed his palm to his face as he sighed a bit.

"Then let me ask you; how powerful did his presence feel to you when compared to Sirius? Has he shown any signs of staying within range of your own abilities?" Drayden asked, as Clay shook his head.

"No, sir; the lad feels stronger than his own father at this point!" Clay spoke up, as Drayden pressed a button on a PC where he was at on his end, as on Clay's end, the PC right next to him for sent Clay not three, but six Poké Balls for him to utilize for the upcoming challenge.

"… You want me to use a full team against him?!" Clay asked, as Drayden grumbled a bit.

"Listen, Clay; if Ash doesn't lose a battle against a gym leader at least once, he's going to meet his end far faster than his own father ever did; do I make myself clear? I don't care if this is technically against the rules, what I DO care about is making sure Ash doesn't die the same way his own father did! I will get into contact about Skyla about this scenario, but do me a favor; once the battle is over, use your Xtransceiver to scan Ash to determine how much Aura energy he is giving off precisely so we'll know that even if he wins against a full team of six, I'll know what to instruct Skyla to use against him. Understood?" Drayden asked in a rather swift and to the point speech, soon regaining his composure on the last word spoken.

"… Loud and clear, Spartan." Clay answered, hanging up the call and heading back outside to greet Ash and his friends again.

"My apologies for the brief delay there; it's just Drayden's been wanting to ensure I keep an eye out for Ketchum's own son here; you see, he doesn't believe Ash to be truly ready to have what it takes to be a trainer in this world."

"I can understand your concern, but I think Ash is fully ready to be a trainer period regardless of what all he would want to accomplish might've been." Cheren spoke to Clay, his gaze narrowed as if he had heard everything Clay and Drayden were saying to each other. Ash, meanwhile, seemed to sport a similar expression, but one that didn't showcase any sort of hostility towards Clay despite that.

'… _So they know what happened to my dad? Then is that the actual reason as to why they're sending stronger Pokémon out against me in gym battles?'_ Ash asked himself in his thoughts, as Altair blinked.

 _((I'm not quite sure I like Clay just yet, but I can sense good intentions from him. Still, something does seem up regardless…))_ Altair spoke privately to Ash, as Ash nodded.

_((I'll keep alert in case Clay tries anything that might overwhelm me…))_

"Now then, so we have three challengers today, correct?" Clay asked of Ash, Cheren, and Bianca once he regained his more usual composure.

"Yes sir." The three nodded, as Clay nodded in return.

"Good. Now then, come on inside to my gym; we'll need to take the Elevator down to the bottom floor specifically for Cheren and Bianca. I won't have an issue with you two, so you won't need to be pushed as hard as Ash would. Understood?" Clay explained and then asked, as Cheren and Bianca nodded.

"Good. Now let's head on inside."

Stepping into the building, Clay, Ash, and the latter's friends stepped inside onto a platform which was sturdy in build, as the platform lowered to below ground level with the press of a button.

"Normally, I don't usually do gym battles in private with just anybody; however, with Ash being present here of all people, I figured giving Ash some privacy from a crowd would get him to better focus his abilities." Clay spoke up, as Cheren scoffed a bit.

' _Suuure… Because you want him to lose somehow anyways…'_ Cheren thought to himself.

Once the elevator stopped at the bottom floor, lights lit up the cavernous room to reveal many crystals emerging from the rocky walls, with much of the interior having been cleared out by machinery.

"Now then, since I want to make this quick, I've been asked a personal request from Burgh which I normally don't listen to." Clay spoke up before pointing at both Cheren and Bianca.

"You two, to your places on the challenger's end of the battlefield; you'll both be challenging me at once." Clay ordered, as both Cheren and Bianca nodded. Ash, Misty, and Iris moved towards the side as to stay out of the way, with Altair having already rushed over to that point to stay beside.

((Restless aren't we?)) Ash asked Altair with a bit of a chuckle, as Ash stepped up to the side of the battlefield with Misty and Iris in tow, with Cheren and Bianca standing side by side as they were prepared to face Clay.

Bianca took Cheren by a bit of surprise by having her hand grab hold of his own hand, but Cheren glanced at her enough to know what she had in mind, lacing his hand with hers and looking over across the field towards Clay.

"Alright; draw." Clay ordered, as he sent out two Pokémon at once from their Poké Balls; a Krokorok of his own, plus a Pokémon not seen previously which resembled a large, oversized tadpole with bubble-like protrusions. Cheren and Bianca responded by sending out their first Pokémon for the match out, beginning with Virizion and Terrakion respectively.

Bianca, closing her eyes so she could focus better, kept them closed enough for her to let the brightness of the room clear up for her, and then opened them again as a surge of energy flowed around herself. Cheren, not bothering with concentrating first, kick started his Heartsoul energies right from the get go. As their orange glows began to circulate around Virizion and Terrakion and amplify their power as well, Cheren and Bianca planned out their first attack against Clay's own Pokémon.

Clay's Krokorok didn't budge, but Clay was quick to give his first command to his other Pokémon. "Alright, Palpitoad! Protect!" Clay ordered, as the large blue Pokémon, called Palpitoad, shrouded itself in a magical barrier of sorts as Virizion and Terrakion stood their ground as Cheren and Bianca closed their eyes. "Next, Krokorok, Earthquake!" Clay called out, as Krokorok slammed its fists into the ground.

Opening their eyes in unison, Cheren gave his order first out of himself and Bianca, "Now! Virizion, into the air and strike Krokorok with Leaf Blade!" The Grassland Pokémon jumped up into the air as the ground beneath itself and Terrakion had become unstable, with Terrakion standing its ground for now.

Once Palpitoad's barrier had faded, though, Virizion suddenly switched targets entirely from Krokorok towards the now exposed Palpitoad, landing a critical blow with the side of Virizion's horns, and knocking Palpitoad off of the battlefield. Krokorok, meanwhile, glared at Terrakion who was hidden in the rubble.

"Alright, now's your chance; Terrakion, Sacred Sword against Krokorok!" Bianca ordered, as the amount of Heartsoul energy she was letting loose had amplified in intensity as Terrakion began its charge towards Krokorok. Krokorok, meanwhile, slammed its fists together, before moving to punch the ground to send a spike of rubble into the air to throw Terrakion off balance.

Bianca, nearly loosening her grip on Cheren's hand as she felt a bit of pain towards her chest, rather furiously looked towards Krokorok as the amount of Heartsoul energy she was unleashing had nearly skyrocketed…

"Calm down." Cheren spoke to Bianca in a rather calm, subdued tone, as Bianca snapped out of her anger and calmed herself down to where the energy she was giving off was back at Cheren's level.

Krokorok, believing it to have knocked out Terrakion, didn't seem to realize Terrakion's looming shadow from behind it, and was swiftly knocked out with an attack from behind in the form of Terrakion's horns glowing with a fierce energy and then slamming into Krokorok, sending the Desert Croc Pokémon flying out of the arena.

"Very good, very good. I'm impressed thus far. Using Fighting Type Legendary Pokémon against my team of Ground Types, very clever… Now what do you think of this instead?" Clay said, drawing out a Poké Ball and tossing it to the battlefield alongside another Poké Ball in the form of a Premier Ball. "Go, Excadrill and Marowak!" Clay called out, as before him appeared a large, mole-like Pokémon with dark brown fur, red stripes, and metallic claws with an equally metallic helmet.

The other Pokémon was noticeably different, though, and Misty could very well tell that; the second Pokémon, Marowak, was not what she was used to seeing from it; the one she saw normally was a sandy color and had no special attributes; the one she was seeing Clay using looked as if it were a ghost, looks skinnier with longer arms and legs, and has a club from which both sides emanate an ethereal flame.

[Ash, it looks like Clay is trying something fishy with Marowak over there.] Misty texted Ash, as Ash looked down at his Xtransceiver and noticed the notification from Misty; however, the Xtransceiver's screen appeared to be glitching out to where he couldn't access Misty's message just yet.

 _((Ash… I'm sensing some form of ominous presence somewhere further away from the city…))_ Altair spoke up, as Ash looked over at Altair.

_((What do you mean?))_

"Now, Marowak, Fire Punch against Virizion! Excadrill, Drill Run against Terrakion!" Clay ordered, as both Pokémon rushed out of their side of the battlefield at immense speeds, as Virizion moved to strike at Marowak with Sacred Sword, horns glowing and ready to strike at it…

… Only for Marowak to completely phase through it like Virizion wasn't even present, and then proceed to strike at Virizion hard with a fiery fist which exploded upon contact with a ghostly looking flame emerging from Virizion. Cheren, clenching his chest from the pain he felt from Virizion's injury, he kept his flow of energy up at Virizion soon took another attack from Marowak before toppling over and hitting the ground, knocked out cold as Cheren called it back.

"Alright, good enough I guess… But…" Cheren tried to speak, reaching for one of his Poké Balls as he thought for a moment; he could tell that Marowak was Ghost Type, yes, but Marowak's apparent Fire Type would've caused a good problem even for Purrloin. With that, Cheren decided on another Pokémon that could get the job done.

"Alright, Watchog! Go!" Cheren called out, as out from his Poké Ball emerged the Lookout Pokémon, standing with his eyes closed in a bit of a lazy stance, as Marowak was practically baffled by the sight of such a weak Pokémon before itself. Due to this, Marowak decided to instead work on attacking Terrakion while ignoring Watchog.

Back at Terrakion, Terrakion had just repelled Excadrill from near itself after having took a barrage of clawed attacks from the Subterrene Pokémon. Before Excadrill could do anything, though, Excadrill's attention was dragged away by the sight of Watchog's small form standing on its head and suddenly opening its large eyes to simply stare at Excadrill directly. With eyes moving in a hypnotic fashion, Excadrill fell over onto the ground and had fallen asleep.

Excadrill, too fast asleep to notice the sudden glow of Watchog's eyes, was unable to notice the suddenly, incredibly swift movements of Watchog as the entire gym darkened in view, and the sound of numerous upon numerous of punches and kicks could be heard where Watchog and Excadrill were. When the lights came back on, Excadrill was sent flying out of the arena much like Krokorok and Palpitoad were beforehand.

Marowak was on its own as Terrakion was quick to take advantage of the seemingly not so bright Marowak and strike a direct hit with a powerful formation of spiky rocks erupting from the ground and striking Marowak into the air. Slamming into Marowak by using its powerful strength to lift up on the rocky spires, Terrakion scored a ring out against Marowak with the rocky formation and both of Clay's battling Pokémon were down and out yet again.

"… Wow. Not sure what exactly Watchog did there but it works regardless. You've proven that even though sending out a Pokémon super effective against Marowak would be wise, you also decided to see how it would've reacted to the presence of a Pokémon he didn't expect to fight. As a result, you exposed his not so keen mind and made him and Excadrill into easy targets." Clay spoke up the group as he called his own Pokémon back to their Poké Balls, all the while looking over at Ash at the side, all the while handing Cheren and Bianca their 5th badges.

"Alright, now, are you still going to act like a young couple or are you going to go back to being serious?" Clay asked of Cheren and Bianca, noticing their whole tactic regarding their Heartsoul amplification technique involved them handholding, as Cheren and Bianca had their energy output vanish as both of them blushed and nodded.

"Yes sir…" They both said, taking their newly earned badges and bowing a bit in respect to Clay. Clay, meanwhile, looked over towards Ash and made a gesture for him to come on over to the battlefield.

' _You're probably not going to like this… but neither will I…'_

**To Be Continued…**


	47. Chapter 46: Quake Badge: Round 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ash faces off against Clay, somethings soon become clearer to him as to the fate of his own father before him, but most importantly, part of the reason as to why.

Cheren and Bianca had walked off of the battlefield, as Misty and Iris looked a bit worried; Clay had managed to put up a better fight against Ash's friends than any other gym leader could've managed by this point, especially with how Marowak had managed to knock out Virizion.

"Alright, so we're just finishing up today's challenges, right?" Ash asked, as he drew out three Poké Balls to prepare to utilize for the fight. Clay, though, responded by drawing out six Poké Balls from his belt at once, one of which included the Premier Ball which contained Marowak.

"Well, as a matter of fact, Ash, I've got some news from Drayden as to what you're going to be going through with us Gym Leaders next." Clay spoke up towards Ash, as Ash blinked a bit.

"So you're instead going to challenge me with six Pokémon? I kind of figured that was the case since I could sense their auras before we even came down into this mine." Ash spoke up, as Ash's aura ignited briefly around his hands, seeming to forget he was still wearing his father's outfit for this fight. Clay, meanwhile, grimaced a bit.

"… Boy… The outfit doesn't matter to me, but do you want to learn the real reason of what the whole background of your father is? How he had died and such?" Clay brought up. Ash's friends went silent, as Ash's gaze went more serious at the mere mention of his father.

"Did Regulus not bother telling you about the amount of passion towards people and Pokémon Sirius had? Or did he attempt to sugarcoat it by leaving out one crucial detail about him? Since from what I'm seeing thus far… you're exactly like Sirius whether you admit it or not." Clay brought up.

"Odd… Why is he bring stuff like this up now?" Cheren whispered to Bianca.

"Yeah it seems like Clay seems to have a bit of more personal history with Ash's father than anyone else we've met so far…" Bianca responded back as both of them, as well as Misty and Iris, carefully watched the conversation between Ash and Clay.

"So what about my father do you think I'm going through that was so bad? I don't see anything wrong with the way he was to indicate he had any sort of flaw!" Ash spoke up towards Clay, as Clay chuckled a bit silently.

"… Precisely. You see, Sirius as a person experienced many battles and won many victories… but he could never take it upon himself to truly experience humility as a trainer." Clay said, sending out his first Pokémon while he spoke, which was the oddly shaped and colored Marowak from before; Ash responded by sending out his first Pokémon in the form of Unfezant.

"So you're saying he never got to truly experience defeat? So why is that necessarily a bad thing?" Ash asked, as Marowak, out of the blue, hurled a blast of fire towards Unfezant but the Proud Pokémon was quick to dodge the attack.

"My apologies for asking this, but were you ever told the true story of what had become of Sirius at any point?" Clay asked. Ash technically knew the answer here, but he knows that nobody had told him about this directly so he chose to try and pretend he wasn't told before.

"My mom just said he had disappeared before I was born, and my mom's been guilty with herself ever since then…" Ash said to Clay, as Unfezant moved high up into the air as her wings began to glow with an intensive light, all the while feathers began to spread from a powerful force that prevented Marowak from getting a proper aim on her.

"You see, Ash… Sirius didn't just disappear all those years ago; he had died all because he was too arrogant for his own good. He went on a dangerous mission most of the Gym Leaders in Unova would've been certain any of us would've survived, and because he had not experienced a losing battle before, he had no actual fear as to this mission in question." Clay explained, just watching as Marowak exhales an entire inferno of flames up towards Unfezant before taking a direct hit from her Sky Attack move.

At once, both Pokémon fainted and were called back to their Poké Balls. Clay grumbled a bit, but Ash remained quiet.

"Still, I'm not sure if why he died is the truth; I'm just not going to let that try and make me lose here." Ash brought up, as his aura began to surge around himself further. Like before, however, his aura mode covered just his gloves this time around as he reached for his second Poké Ball.

"Alright, you're up next, Whimsicott!"

"Call to arms, Krookodile!" Clay called, as both Ash's Whimsicott and Clay's Krookodile appeared on the stage. However, much to Clay's surprise, Whimsicott already moved to strike Krookodile without any further prompting, sucking Krookodile into such an intense gale of wind that Krookodile was launched into the sky, and then subsequently dropped to the ground like it wasn't all that powerful.

Calling back Krookodile, Clay sent out his next Pokémon, "Alright, Seismitoad, you're up next." Clay said with a voice that knew he wasn't in a good spot here; much like with Krookodile, Whimsicott had struck the larger, more frog-like evolution of Palpitoad with such a fierce storm of leaves that Seismitoad was launched out of the battlefield.

"… Is your Whimsicott going to fight seriously or she going to just take advantage of her Grass Type non-stop?" Clay asked of Ash, as Ash blinked, before nodding in understanding.

"Good point; Whimsicott, come back." Ash called, drawing Whimsicott back into her Poké Ball, all the while Ash tried to think as to who to send out; he knew Clay would be sending out a total of six Pokémon, but he had no clue what those other three would be except for Excadrill as a possibility.

As a result, this currently left him with only one of a few choices, so he went with who he knew could he could rely on; Pikachu, Cobalion, and Altair were not bad Pokémon, but Pikachu had a type disadvantage, Ash had no idea as to what other tricks Clay had for Cobalion, and Altair hasn't had any real fighting experience. As a result, Ash sent out…

"Alright, Samurott, I choose you!" Ash called, as he sent out his signature Water Starter Pokémon, as the noble, yet Formidable Pokémon stood his ground within Clay's gym, barely moving except for a glare directed towards Clay followed by a low growl.

Clay blinked a bit, but understood what was to happen. "Very well, Ash. I understand you don't want to lose, but even then, none of us want you to befall the same fate as your father either, so with that said, I must still push you further than the four before had ever done!" Clay spoke up, before drawing a Poké Ball to his hand.

"Alright, Mamoswine, you're up!" Clay called, as he sent out a large, boar-like Pokémon with massive, curved tusks and a massive body covered in fur. Stomping its massive foot down, the Pokémon snorted a bit in aggressiveness towards Samurott.

Samurott, based off of the vibe he was getting from Ash, quickly rushed forward to Mamoswine to strike. Mamoswine, allowing for Samurott to strike and slash against Mamoswine with his Seamitars, struck furiously until Mamoswine moved to let loose a powerful shockwave through its feet. As Samurott was knocked backwards from the attack, Samurott's appearance went from unharmed to rather intensely wounded.

"Alright, go in for it!" Ash called, snapping out if his thoughts to give Samurott the command to fight back properly, all the while Samurott quickly took action and knock out the Twin Tusk Pokémon from the battle. As Clay called Mamoswine back, he contemplated on the next two Poké Balls he had with him.

"Alright, this isn't going to be easy… Excadrill, hurry and do as much damage as you can!" Clay called as he sent out the Subterrene Pokémon from his Poké Ball, as Excadrill was immediately heading into action. Curling up into a drill with his claws and helmet obscuring the front of his body, he rocketed himself towards Samurott.

Samurott, anticipating the attack, moved to parry Excadrill's attack with his Seamitars, blocking Excadrill's charge all the way until both of them began to tire out. Excadrill, losing his focus from the attack, fell to the ground as Samurott stomped his foot onto the ground and a large, jet of water flowed and fired Excadrill off of the battlefield, and stayed relatively still before blasting a bubble of water into the air above both himself and Ash, staying quiet as the water fell onto them both and hydrated them both, as well as some of Samurott's wounds healing as a result.

"Clever… Very clever…" Clay clapped, as he called back Excadrill and paused a bit as he watched Ash and Samurott. "So it seems like you're not developing your father's ego at all; it seems instead you're falling through something else which is more saddening than truly worrying. What is it? I can't quite determine just yet… but we've got one last Pokémon for you to face now." Clay explained to Ash, as he drew out his last Poké Ball and noticed as very, very tiny lights began to appear in the room, glowing a greenish color.

"Alright, Clay, how do you want this play out for this? Am I allowed to use my three other Pokémon? Or are Whimsicott and Samurott the last options I have for the battle." Ash asked, as Clay looked over at him.

"Send out Whimsicott first; I want to see how long she'll last against the last Pokémon I have to face you with." Clay said, before tossing out the Poké Ball onto the battlefield, a bluish glow accompanying it much to Ash's confusion. Based off of the reactions of his friends, though, Cheren raised an eyebrow, Bianca's eyes widened, and Misty and Iris both looked ready to panic.

On the battlefield, appeared a small, green colored Pokémon with what appeared to be only a single functioning eye, and a reddish spot on its belly. As the greenish spots around the room began to glow further and appear more numerous, they began to focus themselves onto the glowing red core on in the center of the battlefield, as the various greenish objects merged together into a singular lifeform.

The creature reassembled itself into a somewhat larger, dog-like Pokémon with mostly black and greenish colors, and having some odd, tail-like structure emerging from near his neck. Misty was shocked, but Iris, on the other hand, looked rather horrified. Ash, responding to Clay's signal, withdrew Samurott and sent out Whimsicott.

"Alright, Whimsicott! Dazzling Gleam!" Ash ordered, as Whimsicott unleashed a bright, powerful surge of light that blinded the room, all the while the rather reptilian sounds of the Pokémon getting hit could be heard… all the while Whimsicott letting out a sharp yelp could be heard just as quickly.

When the light faded, Whimsicott was collapsed on the ground as the Pokémon appeared standing alright as if Whimsicott's attack didn't harm it. Ash, rather horrified as to what he was seeing, quickly called back Whimsicott in haste and sent Samurott back again.

"I sincerely hope you're happy with how angry you've made me after this is over…" Ash told Clay as he tried to calm himself down, as Samurott let loose a fierce howl towards the mysterious, black and green Pokémon.

"I wasn't expecting any less of the idea… Now then; Zygarde! Dragon Rush!" Clay ordered, as the canid Pokémon rushed forward to attack Samurott.

"Samurott! Ice Beam!" Ash called out, as Samurott fired forth a crystalized blast of ice towards Zygarde, but after having taken the hit like it did, Zygarde began to shake a bit. Ash, realizing Zygarde was undergoing some type of transformation, focuses his aura and looked towards Samurott.

"Alright, now the time is right! Warlord-Samurott Engage!" Ash called out, as Samurott began to become covered in a watery veil just as Ash himself had begun to feel aura surge around his skin at a greater intensity than before. Did Samurott perhaps already know of this particular moment in the battle, Ash wondered to himself.

As Samurott finished transforming, Zygarde emerged as a towering, 14 foot tall colossus that stood in a humanoid stance and had four, tail-like wings as Zygarde stood at an obvious height and weight advantage before Samurott, simply eyeing down towards Samurott.

"Alright, Zygarde! Core Enforcer!" Clay called out, as Iris gasped in shock, before quickly moving out of her seat next to the other three and towards the battlefield.

Zygarde, jumping up into the air, revealed a hidden chest cavity on itself as it began to charge an intense amount of energy before proceeding to unleash it towards Samurott.

"CLAY! STOOOP!" Iris yelled out, as she tackled Ash out of the way of the battlefield, as Zygarde's Core Enforcer fired a powerful beam of energy out towards almost all of Ash's side of the battlefield, with Samurott's howling being heard as Cheren, Bianca, and Misty all watched in shock and horror as to what exactly had happened before them. Misty, calling Starmie from its Poké Ball, was quick to enter the battlefield as the attack neared an end to retrieve Samurott.

Misty, appearing on the side of the battlefield with Samurott's unconscious form, carefully used a potion to try and tend to Samurott's more critical wounds. Bianca, though, wondered where Cheren had disappeared to so quickly, only to immediately gasp and rush towards where she knew Cheren would've headed off to.

As Zygarde began to disassemble into its smaller forms and vanish, Iris was quick to wake up from the recoil of the fall and notice Ash just beneath her, seemingly unconscious. "… Ash…?" Iris spoke up, looking Ash over as she grabbed one of his wrists and placed her head against his chest. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Iris slowly let some tears loose on her end as Clay was finding himself being knocked onto the ground by Cheren, who in turn was trying to be held back by Bianca.

"Clay… What were you thinking even attempting such a stunt like that?!" Cheren growled towards the Ground Type Gym Leader, as Clay slowly moved to stand once the pain from Cheren's punch began to fade. As he stood up, Bianca could see that Cheren had punched Clay hard enough to leave a bruise on his face, but Clay merely smiled and disregarded it.

"… So it's true after all… Iris does feel that Ash is indeed in good hands…" Clay spoke up, as Bianca blinked.

"W… Was that whole stunt a test?" Cheren asked, his nerves calming but at the same time he wasn't going to let Clay off this easily without some form of explanation.

"Indeed… You see, many years ago when Sirius was still alive, he always had one thing in common about his numerous appearances that I'm not seeing as something his own flesh and blood inherited… Sirius died alone and with nobody to help him from befalling that horrible fate, but with Ash here, well… He has friends who are actually capable of bailing him out of situations like those…" Clay began, as he looked over towards Ash and Iris, walking over to the two of them as he grabbed something from his pocket.

"Iris…?" Clay asked in a soft voice, as Iris refused to look at him.

"… I see… I understand… It was foolish of me to use Zygarde's power like that… That's why you're giving me the cold shoulder, huh?" Clay asked, as Iris still remained silent, before finally speaking up.

"As the 8th Gym Leader of Unova, I'm not letting Ash lose this match over something like this…" Iris said rather coldly to Clay, as Clay chuckled.

"Wasn't planning on it." Clay said, taking out his gym's own badge and setting it next to Ash. Cheren and Bianca, walking up to them, calmed down as they watched Ash slowly begin to awaken.

"S-Samu…" Ash slowly tried to speak, as Misty walked over towards Ash with a limping, but recovering, Samurott in tow.

"He's fine, I'm more worried about you." Bianca spoke up, as the whole group looked down at Ash as he tried to move to stand a bit, now realizing he has the Quake Badge in his hands.

"But… Clay… you beat me fair and square…" Ash said, as Clay shook his head.

"It wasn't even fair at that point; even if it was, Iris wouldn't allow this to be an official victory on my end, so regardless of the outcome, you've earned the Quake Badge all on your own." Clay said, helping Ash move to stand up as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Now then, Ash… there is a specific reason I had wanted to test you in such a way now that you have five badges by this point…" Clay began to speak, as Ash's attention fixated on Clay, as did the attention of the others.

"Ash, and the rest of you, up ahead on the way to Mistralton City is a cave called Chargestone Cave… in that cave…"

"Is the final resting place of Sirius Ketchum…"

_**Elsewhere…** _

Geneshine was flying through the air along Route 6, clearly agitated with something. Not very long into its flight, Mewtwo appeared to fly beside it and land on the ground, prompting the Paleozoic Pokémon to do the same.

 **{What is it you want, Mewtwo? Can't you see I've got placed to be?!}** Geneshine asked, as Mewtwo telekinetically forced open a hidden cavity within Geneshine's chest, before proceeding to place a strange device of sorts inside and then locking the area shut again. Geneshine, mumbling and grunting a bit in fright and panic, slowly calmed and began to look over towards Mewtwo. As hostile as it looked…

… It suddenly stopped with the hostility, as its internal circuitry scanned the alien device to reveal itself to be the same device Mewtwo has around its wrist.

**{I… I feel… whole…}**

**To Be Continued…**


	48. Chapter 47: UB-0's Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and company begin their travels to Mistralton City, and the group becomes separate when the interference of N has Ash cornered because of it... but that isn't the only thing to worry about in Chargestone Cave by any means...

_**(So are you sure you want to leave Cobalion in the VR Ranch? I mean I understand you can only have six Pokémon on hand at once, but still…)**_ Victini tried to bring up to Ash when he was at the PC.

"Still, Victini, I think it would probably be better to give Krokorok some time to train, and I don't think Cobalion will be willing to cooperate to something that would be mundane to..." Ash said, but trailed off as something had occurred to him.

"… Huh. Do Legendary Pokémon even refer to themselves with genders by any chance?" Ash asked Victini regarding the fact he was nearly about to refer to Cobalion as him. Victini, noticing Ash's confusion, simply shrugged.

 _ **(Not really, we just accept whatever pronoun most people choose to use. We don't really mind, but the default pronoun would most definitely be it for us.)**_ Victini said, as Ash nodded.

"I kind of figured you'd say that, considering you guys didn't really seem to mind at all regarding this." Ash said, before looking over towards Krokorok in the PC. "Alright, I'm sending Cobalion over and withdrawing Krokorok." Ash spoke up, as he placed Cobalion's Poké Ball onto the PC's scanning slot, and then Cobalion was transferred into the VR Ranch was Krokorok's Poké Ball materialized in place of Cobalion's on Ash's end.

Ash, grabbing Krokorok's Poké Ball, called out the Desert Croc Pokémon from his Poké Ball as he looked at him carefully. Altair, meanwhile, looked at Ash a bit.

 _((I kind of think the other Pokémon will be kind of panicky around Krokorok considering he's an android underneath all of that artificial skin.))_ Altair brought up to Ash. Ash, looking around carefully, noticed his friends were busy shopping for supplies, as Ash got an idea as to how to help Krokorok blend in.

"Hey, Krokorok," Ash brought up with a pause, watching at Krokorok looked up towards him to pay attention. "By any chance are you designed to be capable of eating anything?" Ash asked Krokorok.

' _I can confirm.'_ Krokorok responded with an unusual sort of monotone that sounded more deadpan if anything, as if he had been asked the question before.

"Alright, so I have a little idea as to what's going to go on before we leave Driftveil City." Ash spoke up, as he looked over towards the approaching Cheren. Having already changed back into his regular clothing, as moved to reach for his backpack behind himself.

"So, Cheren, did you get the right type of mix?" Ash asked, as Pikachu had popped up from his Poké Ball as he noticed what Ash was implying. Cheren nodded to Ash's question.

"Yes, any particular reason why you wanted an emphasis on sweet and fluffy?" Cheren asked, handing Ash the bag of pancake mix as they both had begun to walk outside.

"It'll give the girls a bit of a special treat; I normally only make this type of pancakes on special occasions or whenever my mom feels distressed about herself, or me for that matter. Plus this is the type of mix I often cooked while living at home for my mom's Pikachu." Ash brought up, as while Altair, Krokorok, and Pikachu followed Ash outside, Pikachu was quick to jump onto each of the former two's heads before landing onto Ash's head.

"Chaaa?" Pikachu spoke up towards Ash in response to the mention of Ash cooking food for once. Ash, in response to Pikachu's cry, petted him around the ears affectionately.

"I knew you'd perk up to the idea as well, hehe!" Ash spoke up towards Pikachu. Once the girls had met up with them outside, they began to leave.

Upon approaching and entering Route 6, the group of five began to set up a small camp to the side as Ash began to cook for the group. With Misty assisting Ash in cooking, Cheren, Bianca, and Iris sat to the side.

"So how often does he cook for you guys?" Iris asked Bianca.

"Ever since we've began staying in Pokémon Centers for a while, it's actually been a while since we've had a taste of Ash's cooking." Bianca said, as Cheren nodded.

"Plus, this is a bit of a special mixture than his usual pancakes." Cheren spoke up, as not long afterwards, Ash was finished with cooking and began setting out paper plates for everyone. In response, everyone had sent out their Pokémon so that they could eat as well; many of the Pokémon sent out by Misty and Iris, though, Ash hadn't seen before. With Bianca checking her Pokédex on some of them, she learned the names of Haxorus, Druddigon for Iris' two other Pokémon alongside Latias, and alongside Starmie and Gyarados on Misty's end were Quagsire, Kingdra, and a very small fish called Wishiwashi.

"Say, Misty?" Ash brought up as he handed everyone's Pokémon their plates first, as Misty blinked.

"What is that Master Ball on your belt for?" Normally Ash wouldn't specifically call out the Poké Ball type, but considering what he had seen and heard from Flare about this particular type of Poké Ball, he couldn't help but draw his own attention towards Misty having one on her belt that she didn't open up just yet.

Misty, nevertheless, looked rather panicky about the whole subject and was quickly tapping away to get the message through to Ash.

[You'd rather not know what's in there yet; it will ruin the good weather, I kid you not. I'm not BLEEPing joking. I'm dead BLEEPing serious.] Misty texted to Ash, the profanity censor on Ash's Xtransceiver coming in handy because, even though he hated swear words by all means, he knew that if Misty was using such words, then whatever was in that Master Ball was not in a good position to be let out just yet.

"… I see…" Ash noted, as he had finished preparing a second batch of pancakes for everyone else's Pokémon as well as for the five trainers as well. Though, if anything, Pikachu was rather quick to down his own plate to where Ash actually mistook Pikachu as not having been served yet. Pikachu, in a cute fashion, tilted his head.

"Pika?" Pikachu spoke up, as Ash noticed he had plenty more mix left, and given he was uncertain how soon it would've been until he had another chance to make more, deciding to prepare another batch of pancakes specifically for Pikachu as everyone was content with eating.

"Wow, Ash, these are actually rather amazing!" Iris gleamed.

"He's a good cook, what else could we say?" Bianca nodded.

"… At least Burgh had some free time to give Ash some proper cooking lessons when we were all very young." Cheren remarked, though nevertheless added, "Still, Ash does know how to make even the most mundane of meals rather excellent in taste."

[Agreed.] Misty texted, as she watched as Pikachu was beginning to chow down on a second serving of pancakes in a larger batch meant specifically for him. Bianca's Terrakion chuckled a bit at Pikachu's appetite.

 _(Funny, I could've sworn only Alolan Pikachu had appetites like those; where are his parents from?)_ Iris' Latias asked through a telepathic communication towards Ash. Uncertain if Latias would hear his question since it appeared nobody else had heard Latias' speak, he answered with the following:

 _((Well my mom always did mention that her Pikachu in particular was from a very tropical region. She can't seem to recall where, though, but apparently both the mother of my own Pikachu as well as the egg he was born from was laid in a region which I think could either be Hoenn or Alola. Given what had happened before Iris had joined us, though, I'm pretty safe to say that her own Pikachu and my Pikachu are from Alolan descent.))_ Ash explained to Latias.

 _(And why might your mother had been to Alola?)_ Latias asked Ash, as Ash shrugged.

 _((Apparently a honeymoon with my father, if the climate is anything to go by that is.))_ Ash finished his explanation to Latias. Ash, for a moment, now recalled something now that he had mentioned his father. Now that they were finally going to Chargestone Cave for real this time, he was expecting two things at the moment; he knew Genesect would've been one of them considering Pikachu's nightmare from when he was still an egg as Pichu, but then there was also the dream with the specter-like Pokémon which appeared in another dream in which he saw his father's dream, and then another dream, more like a nightmare, in which a completely different specter appeared as well, implying that Ash had something waiting for him to be received within the cave.

Ash, setting his Pokédex to mute real quick as he quietly gave Pikachu another serving of pancakes, tried using his Aura Speak to try and determine what Pokémon he had seen in his dream. At least, that is, the one of the two he could tell right away was a Pokémon.

 _((Alright… Let me see if this works; what Pokémon appeared in my dream last night, Pokédex?))_ Ash asked of his Pokédex as his hand holding onto it glowed a small amount with aura. At first, the Pokédex's screen was set to loading the file, but soon something appeared, as Ash read the Pokédex entry quietly.

"Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon and the Final Form of Duskull. It is said to take lost spirits into its pliant body and guide them home." The Pokédex had read, as Ash realized full well that something was going to become problematic with the Chargestone Cave up ahead…

After the group had finished eating, as well as Pikachu having been stuffed with pancakes by this point to where he just sat on Ash's head while rubbing his own belly, Ash and the group walked ahead towards the entrance of Chargestone Cave, and while everyone seemed calm and entered, Ash stopped for a moment when he had felt the back of his hair stand up again; something was up ahead and awaiting his arrival.

"AAAH!" Cheren yelled once the four others were inside, seemingly disappearing after that.

"Cheren!" Bianca yelled, before being muffled by someone's arm and disappearing.

Iris and Misty were both on alert once that had happened, as Ash walked inside as two, robust men with white hair had practically teleported in front of the two of them and forcefully grabbed hold of them while teleporting away with them in tow.

Ash shuddered; who were these strangers...?

"I'm glad you asked, Ash." A pale, masculine voice spoke from directly behind Ash, as the two others had teleported back to Ash's location. Ash had felt himself forcefully picked up by the three.

"Hey! What are you three doing?!"

"…"

"Come."

The three had teleported while taking Ash with them as they had dragged Ash into another room deep within the cave. Ash had tried to look as his Xtransceiver to contact the others; no signal, just a glitched up screen.

With a loud thud, the triad had tossed Ash to the ground, Pikachu knocked out from the impact as Ash slowly moved to stand as he found himself facing up towards a face in which he did not want to see any time soon.

N.

"Well, if it isn't the so called Hero of Ideals? What's the matter? I could've sworn you were prepared for this part." N spoke, not giving Ash a chance to speak his own words when he was moving to stand and look at the tad bit taller N.

"N… What is the meaning of this?! What did you do to my friends?!" Ash asked of N, referring to the triad directly behind him.

"Oh, I didn't do anything; the shadows did that on their own, believing that your friends would interfere." N spoke up, "Besides… this has nothing to do with them so much as it does you, Ash Ketchum." N told Ash. Ash just gritted his teeth as he was rather furious as to why N would go this further in his plans.

"Why… Why are you and Team Plasma doing this? Do you not understand any of what humans and Pokémon alike had accomplished together throughout all of history by this point?!" Ash had asked N, referring to Team Plasma's strange plan of Pokémon liberation, as they'd like to call it.

"Oh, Ash, you don't seem to get it; you may have accomplished great things with the help of Pokémon, but what did the Pokémon ever have to say on this matter? How they were abused by their own trainers, or how they were forced into manual labor even if they weren't strong enough for it?" N had questioned Ash. Ash didn't respond just yet so that his anger didn't take over him just yet.

"… Perhaps you need to see the truth, Ash; not everything is idealistic as you believe it to be so." N brought up, using a Poké Ball to send out a Pokémon in front of him; a large, robust Pokémon with a clown-like nose and a tough expression, all the while carrying a steel beam.

"Gurdurr, would you please show Ash what I'm referring to as the cruelty of humans towards your kind?" N had asked of the Pokémon, as Gurdurr had set the steel beam to the side, all the while turning around and revealing a somewhat larger, rather nasty scar running along its spine.

"… W-What happened to him?" Ash had asked N, as N chuckled.

"Foolish Ash, you don't understand, do you? You make humans to be these heroic saviors, and yet this Gurdurr here had been whipped into working for construction. As a result of years of abuse and cruelty, Gurdurr developed not just a physical scar, but also mental ones as well because of it… until I was able to arrive and rescue Gurdurr myself." N explained to Ash, as Ash gritted his teeth.

"… And how do I know Team Plasma didn't do this themselves just to try and trick you into believing such?" Ash had asked of N, as N blinked.

"What do you mean? Why would Team Plasma go behind the back of their king?"

"Don't you remember Genesect?" Ash brought up the Paleozoic Pokémon as N suddenly froze in place as his gaze looked completely stunned and taken off guard.

"… Reshiram… I would gladly appreciate your assistance here…" N spoke up to the Light Stone he carried by his side, as Reshiram didn't immediately respond, but instead of appearing directly, a semi-humanoid, white shadow emerged from behind N, taking on robust, human-like traits as of Reshiram's form was being worn as a pelt along itself.

Ash's Dark Stone responded with a black, but otherwise very similar humanoid shadow emerging behind Ash in respond to Reshiram's partial manifestation. Since Pikachu and Gurdurr were not in a condition to fight, as well as Altair staying in his Poké Ball for once, Ash and N both glared at each other as N's eyes suddenly turned blue as Ash's own turned red in comparison.

"… What is going on with these two?" One of the triad asked, as another was put on alert when he had heard something fly into the area and hide itself in the shadows.

Ash and N, as if taken over by Zekrom and Reshiram respectively, both began to get into a physical fight of their own as N got in the first solid blow against Ash by a punch to his chest, knocking him into the wall, all the while Ash recovered as he had glided towards N to tackle him into one of the electrical crystals in the depths of the cavern they were in.

Hearing Zekrom's roar break out from Ash's semi-possessed form, Zekrom responded to N's recovering form in the battle by surging himself in electricity, as he prepared to strike at N, all the while N recovered and responded by summoning up a massive sphere of fire energy above them due to Reshiram's abilities. As both Ash and N collided with each other in these attacks, they had managed to knock sense into each other with the powerful forces they had exerted, as Zekrom and Reshiram disappeared back into the Dark and Light Stones respectively, with Ash panting heavily as looked towards N, who looks a bit more exhausted then Ash himself did.

Ash's response, though, was to not continue the fight. Noticing N was about to collapse, Ash was quick to rush to his side and help N to stand up. N was slowly looked towards Ash as he had noticed this gesture.

"… Why?"

"I'm not heartless, N; you should know that by now…" Ash told N, as Ash helped N stabilize himself as they both moved to stand, with everything seemingly back to normal.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu tried to get Ash's attention, as from what N could make out Pikachu had found something. When Gurdurr made some odd sounding, but terrified vocalizations, N noticed that Gurdurr, meanwhile, had found else that was far less pleasant in comparison, and looked up towards the ledge above and noticed something unpleasant with what he had seen.

"Um… Ash? Remember what you had said earlier?" N asked, as Ash slowly looked towards where N was facing as Ash's eyes widened this time.

"… Oh…!" Ash brought up as he was beginning to freak as he noticed what was in front of them, awaiting a chance to strike; Geneshine.

 **{Oh, don't mind me; I'm not after you two… yet. I just want to test my new arsenal.}** Geneshine brought up, as its body glowed with an intense field of energy that made itself glow like a rainbow with the type of energy it was feeling flow through itself.

When Geneshine landed, Ash had sent out Unfezant in response to Geneshine's arrival.

"You… You're not going to manage to kill anyone this time…!" Ash told to Geneshine.

 **{Oh, Arcturus isn't here, nor is Regulus or his mate. All you have to save you is a child at this rate…!}** Geneshine muttered towards Ash and N with a quiet, growling hostility. Unfezant didn't even bother waiting for an order from Ash; her wings had begun to glow with energy upon being sent out.

 **{Oh, what? The Bird is going to pose a threat to me? How so if I might ask? Oh well, time to-}** Geneshine began to say, before being interrupted when he felt three, sharp edged Pokémon grab hold of Geneshine to restrain him; three, black, red, and gray humanoid Pokémon that the Shadow Triad had sent out towards Geneshine.

"Lord N, Ketchum's son, escape while you can!" The Shadow Triad remarked.

"Can't you simply teleport us out like you did my friends?!" Ash yelled towards them, having only a tiny bit of hostility since the three of them seem concerned about both N and Ash.

"You're lucky your friends are safe at Mistralton City, but we would've teleported you out already if we could!" One of the shadows spoke up towards Ash and N. When their three Pokémon were sent flying into the wall in a heap, Geneshine made its charge towards Ash and N.

 **{NOW'S MY CHANCE!}** Geneshine muttered, before getting taken by surprise when Unfezant's Sky Attack finished charging, her wings have summoned a powerful gale forming into wings that slammed Geneshine into the ground. Geneshine, though was quick to get back up and glare at Unfezant with glowing eyes; she didn't even flinch to Geneshine's approach.

 **{WHY ARE YOU GETTING IN MY WAY OF KILLING THESE TWO?}** Geneshine yelled at Unfezant, before Unfezant jumped into the air and used her wings to blast a gale of intense heat down towards Geneshine, the screams of pain from Geneshine much more obvious this time as its body began to visibly burn from the attack.

Once Unfezant began to tire out, Unfezant landed on the ground as Geneshine had just barely survived the attack, the rainbow-like glow fading entirely as whatever power he had was used to shield itself from the attack.

 **{Now, then… WHERE WAS I?!}** Geneshine turned to face towards Ash and N, but was rather surprised with who was facing directly towards him instead.

Krokorok stood defiant toward Geneshine, as Geneshine laughed.

 **{You think you can stop me?!}** Geneshine brought up, as the intense glow began to appear around itself again… until Krokorok bit down onto Geneshine's arm and twisted in grip, before swinging Geneshine around in his grasp before suddenly tossing it into the nearest wall.

"… K-Krokorok…?" N had asked, rather stunned as to why Krokorok would protect them after what he had said towards him.

'… _I'm not protecting you, N; you just happen to be in range of who I truly am protecting.'_ Krokorok spoke up, as he was referring to Ash as Krokorok himself began to glow with an intense energy as he had begun to change in shape and grow progressively larger. _'If you insist that I do not have a soul like Genesect before us, so be it… But Ash does not judge me based on what I am, but rather…'_ Krokorok spoke, as his change in shape finished to where his head had a much larger snout, brows in the shape of triangular shapes, large spines growing out of his back, his belly a light gray as his sandy brown colors were swapped out for red entirely.

' _He judges those he knows for who they are, and why they're here.'_ "Krokorok" spoke, as Geneshine slowly moved to stand up. Geneshine was growling at this point, his joints sparking from damages from not just what it had endured already, but also from the electrical charged stones around itself making it all the more vulnerable to damages.

{Fair play, Krookodile… I didn't know you had it in you…} Geneshine moved to jump upwards and out of reach. {Sadly though, because of your biting, I cannot stay to see this out… Don't call this mercy in the slightest, since I'll just take my chance to strike again later…} Geneshine said as he jumped up and transformed into his flying mode and fled the scene.

Ash, meanwhile, watched as the Shadow Triad called back their three Pokémon, as they moved to look at the stunned N.

"Lord N, we must prepare to leave." The shadows spoke towards N, as Ash blinked. As Ash was about to ask for his friends to return, he took the chance to take in his surroundings; he remembers this particular part of Chargestone Cave for some odd reason…

"… I'll find my way out on my own…" Ash spoke up, as N blinked as he looked as Ash and Krookodile began to leave.

"Ash! Wait! I don't want for you to get into harm's wa-" N stopped himself there. He recalled what Ash had called N the last time they encountered each other, about how he was a hypocrite. He didn't know the meaning of the word, but he figured had he finished what he was saying, Ash would've called him out for it again.

"… Ash… I didn't want this… I just want us to be friends…" N spoke, as he slowly moved to face the Shadow Triad. "Are his friends truly safe?" N asked of the shadows.

"They're unconscious, true, but they're probably going to be looking for him… Should we tell them of anything?" They had asked N, as N didn't know how to answer.

"… I'm not sure how well that'll go… so let's just leave for now; I'm just sensing a… a lot of distress from Ash that wants to be left alone..." N spoke up, as the Shadow Triad looked at each other and thought it over. After a moment, they took N with them as they teleported out of here.

Ash, meanwhile, was walking to a deeper part of the electrical filled cave as Pikachu had led the way, with Ash taking the chance to return Krookodile to his Poké Ball. Pikachu tried to speak up.

"Pikapi…?" Pikachu tried to speak up, noticing Ash's rather silent, but distraught state, looked up ahead and his expression changed to more a mix of confusion and sadness.

"… Dad…?" Ash spoke up, as he walked forward in a slow movement towards the gravestone he could see before him, alongside a small box that placed towards the side. Ash approached the grave as he stopped in front of it, slowly moving to rest on his knees.

"… So it is true…" Ash spoke up, seeing loud and clear that Sirius' name was on the gravestone, but aside from his name and the years from which he was still alive… nothing was mentioned about Sirius on the grave in question.

Ash, at this point, slowly began to let all of his Pokémon out of their Poké Balls, watching as Krookodile reappeared, Unfezant appearing in a better condition upon folding up her worn out wings and perching on the ground, Samurott being prepared for combat just in case, but otherwise disturbed by just the nature of the environment, Whimsicott appearing to float around in a carefree state, and Altair being one to approach Ash directly as Pikachu did the same.

 _((… What is that box over there?))_ Altair asked Ash, as it took a moment for Ash to respond, stopping to wipe something out of his eyes as he moved to looked towards the small box as he looked at it. Ash, realizing the box's structure, slowly moved to grab a hold of it, and slowly tears began to form in his eyes.

"I… I recognize the shape of this box… When my mom's mother had died, my mom had given me a box much like this from what she had wanted to give me before her death… mainly because I was too scared to attend the funeral myself…" Ash slowly spoke, as he looked over the small box. "My dad had probably intended this for my mom… but… I can feel something within it speaking out towards me…" Ash finished.

As Ash opened the box, he saw four objects within; two of which were letters, one of which directly addressed to Delia, and the other addressed to simply "potential child".

"… He didn't even live to know my mom would have me…" Ash spoke up, breaking a bit further with how upset Sirius must've been at the thought, or even how Delia would've reacted to his knowledge given how she had to live through it. Ash put the note addressed to his mom in his pocket, as he would be certain to give that to her at a later point.

Right now, though, Ash focused on the other two items first; one of which was a strange, peculiar green stone with a lightning bolt within it, and the other looked to be a special candy that didn't look edible to humans, but was wrapped in such a way that seemed to indicate it was primarily designed for a Pokémon like Pikachu. After looking over both items, Ash hesitated whether or not he'd read the note yet…

… But nevertheless made his decision to do so anyways, and what Ash was to read left him further broken…

" _To whomever my potential heir to my place here as a trainer…_

_I'm not certain if whoever is readying this is my child, or if they were fathered by somebody else, but it doesn't really matter; I won't be alive to know whether or not my wife will even have a child in the first place. In my dying breath, I just want her future child, whether I am the father or not, to one simple thing; regardless of who had fathered you, I just want you to know that you will bring much joy to Delia from which I myself had failed to do."_

The letter ended there. Ash didn't know what to say; Sirius died not only not even knowing Delia had him in the first place, but now there was the prospect of Delia having possibly cheated on Sirius. This made Ash a bit angered at the thought, since it was clear from what Regulus had told him before about Sirius, that both of them truly had feelings for each other… so why would Delia do something to betray Sirius in such a way...

**"̛I've ͞wa͡i͞t̀e͡d ͘f̡or y͘ǫu t̢o g̀et̡ ̵wh҉at y͟ou̡'̶v͞e͞ r̷igh҉t͝f̴ul̛l̷y ͢inhe͘r̷i͏te͡d҉... I͠ ̸w͝ai̢te̴d f̷or y̕ou҉ to ̴fi͢n̴is̴h w̴i̸t̢h̶ griev͡i͏n̛g ̶for ̕t̕h̛e͏ f͝o҉rme͏r ́c͡ha̴l͢l͏e͡nge͢r̢ ̕t̨o ̢me͢.͡ ̵Now, ҉t̴ho͟ug͡h.̶.̢."**

Ash turned around once he heard the one specter from his nightmare, his Pokémon turning around in a sudden panic to gaze upon a small, cloaked figure that looked like it was some form of living glitch. When Unfezant felt recovered from her fatigue, she moved to stand and prepare to fight; the figure transformed into a rounded, white eyed spectral entity with a large, sharp grin.

Ash moved to grab his Pokédex to try and identify this mysterious challenger, and what appeared onscreen had confused him, but at the same time, he was still rather scared to find this thing wasn't just a nightmare…

"̨M̵̧is͏s̶̸i̴͏ń̢g̢̡͝No. a̴pṕe̕a͏r̡͘ed!̡͠҉"͢

**To Be Continued…**


	49. Chapter 48: UB-0's Onslaught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> UB-0, more famously known as MissingNo., pushes Ash and his Pokemon to their very limits after his arrival...

Ash's eyes widened upon sighting this specter, or this "MissingNo.", that it was apparently called. Before Ash could even remotely say anything to ask what it was or what it was doing here, Ash's Pokémon all moved in front of Ash as a blockade only for MissingNo. to force Krookodile out onto the area in front of itself.

" _ **̡͡T̵h̀͏͝a̸̡t͜'̸̕s̵̵ ̢̀a̶͟g̸͏a͏i̧͢n͢s͢t ͠the̢ ̢r̵̶͠u̴l͡e̕s̶̛҉…͡"̡͜͝**_ MissingNo. spoke as it moved to force all of Ash's Pokémon out of the way as Krookodile was defense until Ash gave any sort of order to attack.

"MissingNo., what do you want?!" Ash spoke towards the creature, as it simply laughed.

"I've been long awaiting this day; the bastard son of Sirius to challenge me… in a fight he will never win; just like how the old man died!" MissingNo. spoke towards Ash all the while cackling at the same time, as Ash gritted his teeth a bit in anger, before looking over towards Krookodile.

"Krookodile! Use Crunch against MissingNo. while I try and find information on it!" Ash ordered to Krookodile, as he had grabbed his Pokédex again to try and identify any further information on MissingNo..

Krookodile rushed forward, his jaws opening up as he snapped down on MissingNo.'s spectral form, as MissingNo.'s creepy smile didn't even change upon the attack landing, Krookodile throwing around MissingNo. like a ragdoll as he finally let go and slammed MissingNo. into a wall.

After landing into the wall, MissingNo. transformed into a blur of monochrome colored pixels in the shape of some amorphous mass, as a large, arm-like limb grabbed hold of Krookodile and grabbed hold of him; near immediately a powerful surge of energy struck Krookodile, Krookodile letting out a growl of pain as he was dropped on the ground, knocked out.

"Krookodile!" Ash called out, as MissingNo. suddenly grabbed at Ash with the same limb to attack; before it could do any significant damage, though, Unfezant swooped in and cut off MissingNo.'s grasp on Ash. Regardless, Ash felt himself coughing horribly as to the feeling of MissingNo.'s unnatural form against him.

"U-Unfezant! B-Bring it down!" Ash called towards her, as Unfezant flew into the air and flew in a circle around MissingNo.'s attempts to attack, only to eventually slam herself into MissingNo.'s pixelated mass of a form, just as MissingNo.'s generated limbs disintegrated as MissingNo. began to transform again, this time into a skeletal form of some kind of winged Pokémon with massive jaws.

Ash, during all of this, still tried to check his Pokédex for information on MissingNo., hoping that any form of information would allow him to survive against this creature's wrath.

No information still showed up on his Pokédex, even though it did acknowledge that MissingNo. had forme differences regardless. As Unfezant was flying through the air to try and attack the transformed MissingNo., the skeletal form of MissingNo. took off into the air and grasped Unfezant into its jaws and sent a horrifying shockwave through her body as well as its sharp teeth scratch along Unfezant's left eye, before Unfezant was dropped to the ground below, knocked out just like Krookodile.

" _ **Y͡ǫu͡ ̸̴̨ha͜v́e҉̵͠ ̛ń̨o͟ c̶̨̀h͠an͠͡ce.҉̨"́͘͘**_ MissingNo. spoke to Ash and his Pokémon in a deeper voice than seen before, as Ash moved to try and stand after Unfezant had gotten knocked out. Pikachu looked at Ash in fright, as Ash looked towards one of the crystals in the room to see his reflection as he had moved to cover his face with his cape; a good chunk of the left side of his face was now bleeding from a scar around his eye.

"W-Whimsicott! Attack MissingNo.!" Ash struggled to tell his more recent team member, as Whimsicott moved to strike at MissingNo. with a powerful stream of leaves and sparkling wind, and just before MissingNo. had the chance to attack her, MissingNo.'s eye holes shattered as MissingNo. began to transform again, this time into a ground based fossil which carried around gigantic claws, a domed head, and a bipedal body similar to Genesect's own.

MissingNo. didn't waste any time in slashing out towards Whimsicott, slashing the air and sending out energy blades towards her and knocking her out with a fierce explosion; Whimsicott joining the heap of Ash's defeated Pokémon. Altair noticed Ash's worsening condition by this point, as he looked over towards Samurott and Pikachu.

"Hurry! Do something to this mysterious Ultra Beast will ya?!" Altair barked orders at Samurott and Pikachu, as MissingNo. focused its attention on Altair and completely ignored Samurott and Pikachu as it had begun to charge towards Altair.

Altair was quick to jump into the air to evade the attack, and landing several fierce kicks on the back of MissingNo.'s head, before MissingNo. had turned around to try and attack only for Altair to grab hold of MissingNo. via utilizing his aura to immobilize the creature, and then shattered both of MissingNo.'s claws.

Triggering an explosion that had knocked the fossilized remains of the current form into Altair, Altair was struggling to break himself free from MissingNo.'s attack at this point. With each fossilized piece exploding around him, Altair now joined Ash's other three knocked out Pokémon despite his best efforts.

MissingNo. now transformed into another pixelated, mass of a form, taking on a blaring red and yellow coloration, as Samurott drew out his seamitars to face off against MissingNo. with. Ash was barely managing to move at this point, as Ash was grabbed by MissingNo. as he was shocked with a powerful surge of energy into his system, before being tossed aside into a rock formation that collapsed upon impact.

When Samurott saw Ash's condition, noticing how Ash was bleeding not just from his face but now from his neck among other parts of his body as noted by his ruined clothing, Samurott howled towards MissingNo.. A watery veil began to form around Samurott out of sheer rage, as Samurott emerged from the veil as Warlord-Samurott to engage MissingNo..

"Pika pi!" Pikachu tried to warn Samurott, but the Indomitable Pokémon knew that MissingNo. had to pay for all of this. Samurott charged forward to strike at MissingNo. with his seamitanas, as near immediately Samurott moved in with Mysterious Samurai to catch the abomination off guard and strike at him repeatedly for massive damage, Samurott's attacks getting progressively stronger with each hit, before landing one final strike against MissingNo. to send the two beings crashing to the ground from the impact.

As Warlord-Samurott landed on the ground, he reverted back to his normal form of Samurott and collapsed to the ground not from injury, but due to sheer exhaustion; now some of Ash's own injuries could be seen on Samurott at this point, as the Formidable Pokémon quietly rumbled with a weakened cry.

MissingNo.'s current form looked ready to shatter apart entirely… but that was clearly not the case, as Pikachu prepared himself for battle as MissingNo. transformed again. Taking a fragment of all of its prior forms, MissingNo.'s current red and yellow form became the inner portion of a body, the monochrome parts becoming the interior of his head, the bipedal fossil Pokémon becoming his exterior body, the winged Pokémon fossil becoming a sort of helmet and pelt, with the spectral form encasing itself around the body and armoring it as a result.

As MissingNo. reformed itself into a giant sized, singular form, Pikachu stood defiantly towards MissingNo.'s combined form. As MissingNo. remained still and motionless, Pikachu had a quick look around towards his fellow teammates and then towards Ash; Ash, much like MissingNo., didn't showcase any movement, all the while Pikachu slowly felt tears begin to form, before walking over towards the box that Ash had held as MissingNo. fired off shots towards Pikachu to try and eliminate him next.

As Pikachu opened the box Ash had, he grabbed hold of the electrical powered stone and Pikachu expected his appearance to begin to change…

… But nothing happened…

" _ **҉̨Y̛͠o͜u҉̀͜'̴ŕ̕e ̸͢t̨͡oó̀ l̡a̡t̡̡e ͜͝no͟ẁ̡,͟ ̵͝P̀i҉͟k͞a̶̸ch͠u҉…̶ Ti̛͝m̢͜e͜ ̢͢f̨͏̴ó͡r͠͝ ̀ý̶o͠ų͟ ͘al̴̶͘l͜ t̵o҉ ͘̕d̵͘ie͞͠…͏̢͘!̨͠"̨͘͏**_ MissingNo. spoke towards Pikachu as he raised his giant claws to prepare to attack…

… And then the stone Pikachu held onto had begun to cause Pikachu to glow with a fierce, blinding intensity, as Pikachu's shape began to change; his body grew larger, somewhat more plump, as his legs increased in size. His ears grew and altered in shape to where the inner portion was curved, and his tail grew into a skinny tail that end in a tip with a thunderbolt shaped crest that was slightly curved on the individual points on it. As the final change, his body changed in coloration to a more tanned orange, followed by white with small traces of yellow on his paws and belly, as his ears remained yellow as his eyes turned into a crystal-like blue.

"Rai…" "Pikachu" began to say towards MissingNo., before he emerged from the light as his fully evolved form.

"Raichuuu!" Raichu announced as he immediately fired a powerful, bolt of electrical directly into MissingNo. as the electrical rocks in the cave began to surge around MissingNo. and cause additional, massive damage to the giant sized, glitch of an Ultra Beast.

" _ **͡͞͞…̛͢ ̡̛̕͟Y̛͏o̢̨͟͠͝ų̡́͢…͏̴͘͞ ̀́͢͏̵Y̴͜͡O̡҉Ừ̶̧͜!̸̨ ̢́͡͠I̵̴͘ ́͜͠t̢h̀͘o̶̶̕͡͡u̴̶̕͠͠g̀h̢͡t́̀͟͠ ͏͡Í́̀͟'̧͜d̵̴͠͡ ̶̨̀͜͠ń̀͡ę̕͟͜v̴̶̢͡ȩ̶r̸͏̵̢̨ ͞s̴͢҉e͏̵̴̵̛é̕͢͟͜ ̴t͡҉͢͡͝h҉e̷̵̡ ́͘d͏̴̢a̷͞y̕͏ ̧͘͘i̢̕̕͝ń̸̷̛ ͏̨͟w̷̡͠h̀í̧c̵̵͠h̵̕͠ ̷҉̴̡͘t͏̢̨́̀h͏́į̛s̵͝͠͡͝ ̴̶̢́͟h̵̨̕͡a̴̕p̸̡̨͜p͢҉̀e̷̵͟n̸̛̕͢e̷̕d̴̵̡͞͞ ̵t̀̕͜o̢͘͜͞ ̶҉̶͟t̵̕̕͠ḩe̢͜͞͞ ̨̛͏l̸̶҉͜i̸͟ķ̴͠e̸̡͘͞s̴̛̕͜ ͘͢o̷͜͢f̵̶́͡ ̶̨̢̛̛y̡͟͏ǫ̧͢͜ứ͟͡?͏͠!̶̢͠ ̵̧D̛̕ơ̧ ̶̕ỳ͢o͏̛͟͡u̶̧͢͠ ̴̨k͠҉̨҉n̨͘͢ó̢҉̢͏w̨͘͢͝ ̴̨̢͢w҉͘͢h̵͜a͏̴̡͡͝t͟͞ ̛̕̕ý̕͘ò͏͜͏u̸̕'̧̧͡҉v̴̷͢è̵ ̴̸̀͘͢d̵̢̨͢͞ờ̡͝͡n͜͡é̸̸͝?̢̢͡͏!̸̨̨͡҉"҉̡͟͞**_ MissingNo. began to rant towards Raichu, as Raichu didn't seem to care.

"Rai! Raichu, rairai!" Raichu told off MissingNo. in comparison; MissingNo. had harmed his friends, and Ash is in the ground, bleeding out, and not even moving; Raichu has much more of a reason to hate MissingNo. than MissingNo. does towards any of them.

Striking MissingNo. again with a large bolt of thunder again, MissingNo. took severe damage again thanks to the power of the surroundings, as when the attacked ended, MissingNo. couldn't budge itself to move as smoke began to emanate from its body due to the severe pain.

As Raichu noticed MissingNo.'s weakened state, Raichu jumped up and stood onto the large sized tip of his own tail, as he floated up into the air and aimed himself towards MissingNo..

"RAAAICHUUU!"

With one, final strike, Raichu flew and slammed himself into MissingNo.'s weakened form, as the sheer intensity of the electrical surge that had struck MissingNo. with a physical charge in which MissingNo.'s form began to crumble and weaken from the blow, its body glowing before suddenly ejecting itself through the ceiling of the cave at immense speeds, as MissingNo.'s body disintegrated into non-existence as MissingNo. flew up into the air and out of sight.

Raichu floated back down towards Ash's other Pokémon, as Raichu grabbed their respective Poké Balls from Ash's belt and called each of them back. Using his own new, psychic powers to levitate the injured Ash up into the air, Raichu glided his way out of the cave with Ash and the other Pokémon, seeking out the northernmost exit as he could sense a familiar presence trying to find them…

_**A few minutes later…** _

Cheren, Bianca, Misty, and Iris began running through Chargestone Cave to try and find Ash, all the while calling out the name of Ash or any of his Pokémon. When Misty tried to see if her own tracking abilities could allow herself to find Ash, she heard a familiar, but different sound heading towards them.

"Rai! Raichu!" Raichu called out as he had neared the group of four, as he lifted some heavy rocks out of the way before becoming visible towards the group. As Misty rushed forward and nearly tackle hugged Ash's fully evolved, but still small Pokémon, Iris, Bianca, and Ash moved to carefully grab Ash so that Raichu didn't accidentally drop him.

"Pikachu- Or, whatever you currently are, what happened?" Cheren asked of Raichu, as Bianca scanned her Pokédex on information on Raichu.

"Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon and the Final Form of Pichu. Raichu's transformation in Alola into Alolan Raichu is a mystery. Alolan Raichu has psychic powers, which it can focus in its tail to ride it like a surfboard through the air. Rubbing the electric sacs on its cheeks causes a mysterious, sweet aroma to be released." The Pokédex explained upon Raichu's, specifically Alolan Raichu's, overall form.

As Cheren was quick to notice the heavy amounts of bleeding from Ash, Cheren looked towards the others.

"We need to get him out of here, fast!" Cheren told them, as the group noticed Ash's condition and all nodded, before moving to leave as out of their line of sight stood N, as he had watched them leave to get Ash serious medical help, N's gaze wasn't anywhere near as antagonistic as it was when he had seen Ash earlier… he seemed rather… broken…

"Ash… I'm…" N began to try and say, as he could feel himself pained a bit as he tried to finish speaking.

"I-I'm sorry…"

_**A few hours later…** _

Ash was slowly beginning to feel himself stir, not having noticed how something had hold of him at the moment. As Ash weakly tried to wake up, he could see an ominous, mysterious landscape before him. Too weak to even wake himself up to try and react to it, he felt himself get moved into a room in a Pokémon Center medical bay for trainers as he felt himself lifted up and placed back down into something.

The ominous specter, having found Ash and brought him back here, didn't even set of any of the security at the near dusk of this time of day, as he looked towards Ash's body as he could see Ash coughing up some blood but finally having moved for the first time in a few hours now. As Ash slowly began to move, the specter disappeared…

"Your father gives you his regards, Ash… Farewell…" The Pokémon's voice was heard, before vanishing entirely just as Ash was about to awaken.

As Ash awoke to look around, he noticed the left side of his head, his neck, his torso and arm and leg were bandaged up as Ash noticed something about his current situation… he could feel two people holding onto his non-bandaged hand, as Ash turned his look to look over towards the fast asleep Misty and Iris staying at his side.

Ash's gaze softened as he looked at the two of them; he noticed how the two of them had cried some time ago, so Ash, briefly but reassuringly, moved to carefully let his hand gently rub against both of their cheeks, as Ash could see the two of them smile in their sleep as Ash moved to let himself move to fall back asleep again.

Cheren and Bianca were also in the room, staying further away so they didn't disturb Iris or Misty, as they had both began to dial someone on their Xtransceiver.

"Hello?" Delia's voice came up on Cheren's Xtransceiver.

"Hey, uh, Delia… Ash's is doing… er… well… But I'm calling you ahead of time to ask if you'll be able to accommodate two others aside from Bianca and I in your house…" Cheren asked, as Delia blinked.

"… Huh? Did you three meet new friends?" Delia asked Cheren, as Cheren looked over at Bianca as they both blushed.

"Yeeeah… Uh… Do you remember my own parents by any chance?" Cheren asked, as Delia took a moment for that to sink in, before hiding a giggle by covering her mouth a bit.

"I'll… uh… see what I can to do to make for some accommodations… Is Ash doing alright?" Delia asked, as Cheren and Bianca remained quiet.

"That's why we're heading home to take a break; Ash needs a chance to recover from injuries he sustained from Team Plasma…" Cheren told Delia as Delia nodded.

"Do you want me to come pick you guys up?" Delia asked, as Cheren nearly panicked.

"No, er, trust me… I think Iris and Misty have this one handled for all of us." Cheren told Delia, as she had nodded in understanding… before her eyes shot open in surprise.

"Wait, who?!"

**To Be Continued…**


	50. Chapter 49: The Dragon of Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hero of Ideals had spoken, and now his Dragon must answer to him…

Ash slowly moved to wake up; he couldn't recall how many days it had been since he had begun his journey with his friends. So many things had happened to him thus far that he knew that things would probably continue to escalate further. Why was N much more antagonist in tone this time around compared to the other times? Why did Zekrom and Reshiram only partially awaken then? What even was MissingNo. are these "Ultra Beasts" that Altair had referred to it as? What was with Raichu's altered appearance from the normal appearance of the species?

Ash had so many questions on his mind as he sat outside of the Pokémon Center by a pond and threw stones into the water, trying to clear his mind of the many questions he had now. As he rather aimless grabbed for another stone, he could feel somebody's approach towards him.

"Ash Ketchum, I presume?" The voice had asked, curiosity in his tone just as it was calm and somewhat serious; the voice sounded at least a year or two younger than Ash's own, but Ash slowly looked over to see who he was looking at; a young teen with dark, semi-blue hair that borders on black with a uniform consisting of black and navy blues with a bright cyan collar of fluff around his neck.

"… Yes?" Ash answered, wanting to know the teen's intentions, as the teen's eyes widened a bit when he got his answer.

"So… You're the legendary Ash Ketchum from the Nimbasa City gym battle about a week ago? That's rather amazing with your capabilities!" He spoke to Ash, before moving to sit beside him and hold his hand out. "My name is Alain; Alain Shudo." The teen, named Alain, introduced himself to Ash, as Ash's eyes widened a bit.

"… Hold on. Shudo, as in, Delia Shudo Ketchum?" Ash had asked, as the teen's expression went startled rather quickly.

"Hold it; my mom's sister is your own mom?! So she's not dead like my own mom kept trying to tell me!" Alain said with a bit of a sigh of relief, calming his nerves down with a deep breath as Ash looked at him oddly.

"Yeah… So I guess we're apparently cousins…" Ash brought up; this sounded a little too good to be true, so he closed his eyes as he tried to read Alain's aura; pure blue, not a single trace of malice within him. Ash may have only just met Alain right now, but Alain's aura did not lie to him about who he was; Alain was nobody that Ash had any right to be suspicious about or have anything against.

"So, um, my apologies if I sounded rather wary there, Alain… eheh…" Ash tried to apologize, as Alain shook his head.

"No, I understand; you didn't know anything about me and the fact we're related in any way at all just naturally raised questions there." Alain told Ash, as he chuckled a little and calmed himself down. As he sat next to Ash, he could notice rather well that Ash was overall taller than he was.

"So… Um… I don't know if you mind if I ask… But…" Alain trailed off, before finishing his question, "Would you care to have a Pokémon Battle?" Alain finished; his expression joyful and eager to hear what his older cousin had to say.

"… S-Sure, I suppose…" Ash answered, not exactly wanting to get into details about his previous injury that had him out for days.

As they moved to find a better spot to have a battle towards the more relaxed, less developed parts of the city, they eventually found a field which they deemed suitable for the battle. Ash was the first to draw his Pokémon for the battle.

"Samurott, I choose you!" Ash called, as grabbing his Poké Ball he tossed and called out upon the Formidable Sea lion Pokémon Samurott, as Samurott made his entrance clear with a noble howl. As Alain moved to draw his own Pokémon for the battle out, Alain drew out a Premier Ball which contained his own Pokémon.

"I prefer if we kept this to one on one, so with that said, Charizard, let's fire it up!" Alain called out as he tossed the Premier Ball out and called upon an orange, Dragon-like Pokémon with large wings and developed muscles and twin horns on its head, and a fire tipped tail. As Charizard was called out, it let loose a noble roar that was much more prideful than Samurott's own, as Mega Evolution equipment were attached to the base of Charizard's neck like armor.

"So, I'm assuming you're already familiar with Mega Evolution considering you're using a Fire Type here?" Ash asked Alain, as Alain nodded.

"Indeed, and it seems you already know about what to expect from Charizard's Mega Evolved form! Shall we get started?" Alain asked, as Ash nodded as he tipped his hat, which still was that of his father's along with the overall outfit he was wearing still having been originally his father's own.

"Alright, Samurott! Let our connection shine!" Ash called out as a watery veil surged from Samurott as he transformed in appearance to the much more robust Warlord-Samurott, letting out a subdued growl towards Charizard as Alain revealed his key stone on a bracelet he was wearing as it had begun to shine in the light of dawn.

"Charizard! Mega Evolution!" Alain called, as Charizard became encased in a sphere of energy increased in power before exploding to reveal within the now black, blue bellied and spikier Dragon Type in the form of Mega Charizard, Charizard letting out a battle cry as flames sparked from his mouth and trailed behind his head, the flames from here and on its tail appearing so hot they appear blue in coloration.

"Pokémon, GO!" Both Ash and Alain called in unison, before Charizard flew up into the air to evade Samurott's charging strike with his seamitanas, as Samurott looked above and began to exhale a stream of chilling ice out towards Charizard, as the attacked miss again as Charizard maneuvered out of the way, before flying in a circle around Samurott until it had collided into Samurott with a full on tackle that struck like a meteor in intensity.

As Samurott was knocked backwards, Samurott was quick to regain his footing as Ash had likewise did the same as he avoided activating his aura to where it would only buff Samurott's abilities further. As Ash moved to stand properly again, he looked over towards Samurott.

"Alright, Samurott! Synchro Pulse!" Ash called, as Samurott's seamitanas glowed with an intense energy as they moved to strike the ground with a fierce uprooting of spiked edges moving to try and strike Charizard. As Charizard continued to dodge them, Samurott took matter into his own hands and moved to utilize Hydro Cannon into the ground, which caused all of the holes made from Synchro Pulse to form into geysers as they jettisoned water up into the air in large amounts, as Charizard had more difficulty with dodging.

"Charizard, Blast Burn!" Alain ordered, as Charizard gathered forth an intense amount of fiery energy that formed in its jaws, before letting loose an explosive, blue flame towards Samurott as Samurott recognized a sight like this and immediately decided to counter by opening his jaws and not just exhaling Hydro Cannon a second time, but having Ice Beam fired within the center as the fireball created by Blast Burn was slowed in movement, until it eventually froze over entirely and almost immediately shattered upon the ice taking hold of its structure.

"Samurott, the time is now! Mysterious Samurai!" Ash called out as his eyes briefly sparked with aura before Samurott moved to grab both of his seamitanas and rush towards the airborne Charizard with such an immense speed it was caught being struck by not just the repeated hits from the seamitanas, but also the terrain that was lifted off of the ground from Samurott's earlier attacks that had effectively corned Charizard's movements.

As Samurott struck Charizard one last time with an intense, vertical slash, both Pokémon landed on the ground below as Mega Charizard degenerated back into a normal Charizard, as Warlord-Samurott had equally degenerated back into a normal Samurott before sheathing both of his seamitars quietly.

Ash cheered for Samurott as he moved onto the field to grab him into a close hug, all the while Alain slowly moved to Charizard to tend to his wounds and do the same. As Ash calmed down, he walked over towards Alain while holding his hand out.

"So, that was actually a rather enjoyable battle for the first time in a while. It's as if you were asked by someone to come here and battle me." Ash said to Alain as Alain moved to stand, taking Ash's hand and shaking it.

"Well you could say that or you could just say your aunt lives here in this city and I had come by the moment I had heard your last name in the Pokémon Center when you were rushed here in a hurry by your friends." Alain said, as Ash chuckled in response a little bit as Alain did the same.

"Yeah… Though, admittedly, I'm not exactly sure how my friends are going to take you joining in with us and-"

"Actually… I'm not exactly a skilled battler to join you on your journey." Alain said to Ash, as Ash stopped himself and looked at Alain with a concerned gaze.

"But… You're able to Mega Evolve your Charizard just fine; how could you not be skilled enough?" Ash asked Alain, as Alain calmed but tried to avoid the question.

"It's… well… it's a bit of a long story… Besides, I've got to get back to my own friends and their own journeys soon." Alain said as he called Charizard back to its Poké Ball, as Ash did the same for Samurott.

"Well… either way, it was definitely nice to meet you, Alain!" Ash said cheerfully, as Alain nodded.

"The same to you, Ash." Alain said, before waving goodbye and then moving to leave. As Ash waved goodbye, he noticed that his friends would still be asleep around this hour of dawn, and decided to visit someplace just outside of Mistralton City before he and his friends would leave for Nuvema Town for him to recover fully.

As Ash walked towards the place in question, he could feel Altair and Raichu emerge from their Poké Balls as Raichu's face looked a bit concerned for Ash, all the while Altair focused on the sunrise.

"Rai…?" Raichu asked of Ash, all the while Ash moved to gently pet Raichu behind the ears as he had hovered alongside Ash.

"Relax, it'll be okay… There's something I've been meaning to do for a while now at this place…" Ash spoke up, as he looked up ahead and saw a rather large, very tall tower as he stopped at the entrance, with Raichu disappearing back into his Poké Ball as Altair remained by Ash's side.

"… I have a feeling I may be aware of why you are here, yes?" Altair asked Ash, as Ash simply chose not to answer just yet as he walked inside, making his way through and up the following floors as Altair had quietly followed.

As Ash walked up the stairs before arriving at the topmost floor, both he and Altair had plenty of chances to notice the various graves for the Pokémon of trainers that had been put to rest in this very tower, as a means of giving them a proper burial. As Ash stopped at the second to last floor before the roof, he walked over towards a grave in particular that he recognized.

"Simisear…" Ash quietly spoke, as he moved to kneel in front of his coffin as Altair stayed rather quiet, his expression softening a bit as his eyes had closed.

"Simisear… I… Well, there have just been a lot of things I had sincerely hoped we would've been able to do together with you by my side as your trainer…" Ash began to say, as he had paused as he closed his eyes as he didn't pay any direct attention towards Altair's brief flashes of light around his own body.

"Simisear… I'm… I'm sorry if I had failed you with your intent to save me from danger in any way… Even if the original reason you had crossed over had been salvaged, I still feel at fault for the fact you had died in the place of me…" Ash quietly spoke, as Altair's brief flashes of light began to encompass his whole body as the glow of dawn could be seen entering the room…

"Look… I know there are a lot of things we could have done together… and all of the things we more than likely would've done had it not been for our short time together… I just… I just wish I could've been a better trainer for you at the time… so that you would've lived on… but am I selfish for having such a desire… an ideal…?" Ash continued, as Altair's glow encircled his body at this point as he had begun to undergo a change in shape from the smaller, humanoid canine he was as a Riolu, into the much more familiar shape of a fully evolved, combat capable Lucario.

"I understand if somehow you feel happier knowing that I am at least happy with myself even after everything that had happened… I just wish… I just want to truly know if you yourself are happy as well… even after your tragic demise…" Ash said, as the glow around Altair had faded as his form changed into that of a Lucario; having a brighter shade of blue and being shorter than his own father Regulus, but a Lucario nevertheless.

Ash moved to stand as he opened his eyes, not being startled by Altair's evolution as he looked at Simisear's grave.

"I'll forever miss you, Simisear…" Ash spoke, as he moved to leave the room and proceed to the uppermost floor of the tower; on the very top stood a single, large bell that was silent even in the howling wind that had hit the area. Ash didn't notice it as he had approached the tower's bell, but as he moved towards it to give it a push… the Dark Stone began to lift itself from Ash's bag and move to float behind Ash.

Ash moved to ring to the bell, and when he did, its chime could be heard echoing with a powerful, but at the same time, so very serene sound that it had gave a soothing presence to Ash and Altair, all the while Ash had looked behind him as he had looked over at Altair and the Dark Stone.

"I have made my wish… My ideal… As long as I am considered the Hero of Ideals, no Pokémon shall die within my own sight; that is my ideal!" Ash spoke up, as the Dark Stone, at first, didn't seem to respond…

… Until it had let loose a deep, powerful rumble as darkness based energy began to be absorbed into the stone in a fashion akin to a black hole absorbing these energies without them having a chance to escape. As the energies became to get drawn into the Dark Stone, the Dark Stone began to spin in place in midair as it opened up into a powerful, void-like sphere that he encircled it.

Large, rectangular wings would be seen emerging from the back, as a more cone shaped tail which contained a powerful turbine within had revealed itself, as well as the somewhat large, Draconic head with a single horn protruding from the back emerging, as did large powerful arms and legs that had connected to a strong, incredibly robust stature at the center along with the other parts of the body.

As its eyes opened, revealing the intense, bright red of its eyes, the Legendary Pokémon had truly awoken as it had looked towards Ash, being a little less than twice his own height.

' _ **The time has come Ash; the final test is now upon you and I; embrace my challenge towards you!'**_ Zekrom spoke towards Ash, all the while Altair was prepared to fight for once this time as his claws extended into metallic blades as he barked, as Zekrom let loose a roar towards Altair, before Zekrom jumped backwards to fly into the as Altair jumped and used his own aura to effectively fly in the air above through levitation as Ash looked on as he made a gesture with both of his hands, one surging with an orange energy, while the other surged with pure aura.

In response, Altair became encased in a powerful sphere of energy, that upon shattering open, revealed Altair's Mega Lucario form, all without the aid of a proper Mega Stone to Mega Evolve; Ash now pointed towards Zekrom.

"I accept; now recognize me for who I am!" Ash called out, as Zekrom rushed forward as did Altair.

The Hero of Ideals had spoken, and now his Dragon must answer to him…

**To Be Continued…**


	51. Chapter 50: The Hero of Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash's fight with Zekrom pushes him into new territories all the while Ghetsis and Colress have a plan in mind that requires Hoopa's assistance...

Altair and Zekrom floated in the air far above the tower just as dawn was beginning to become more visible towards the two of them. Altair was quiet; whether it be for him not knowing how to handle his new form just yet, or the fact his first actual fight was against a Legendary Pokémon. Zekrom, meanwhile, simply floated in the air with the turbine within its tail generating electricity to allow it to stay in flight.

As Altair suddenly rushed forward with his claws extended, he struck at Zekrom with sharp, metallic blades that didn't even seem to so much as faze Zekrom in comparison. As Zekrom turned around, it had roared as its hands charged up electricity in them, appearing in a blue coloration compared to other Electric Type's appearing yellow, as it had fired the electrical bolts towards Altair.

Altair, using his extended claws to parry the blasts of electricity, began to spin in a circle in the air as a strong current of air encircle him, as Zekrom rushed him to try and attack again, only for the gale to keep it from reaching Altair. Altair responded by sheathing his claws for a moment, and preparing a sphere of aura in his hands before firing it towards Zekrom to send the Legendary Pokémon partially pushed back.

As Ash watched from below as to the fight, Zekrom opened its eyes wider as they glowed red and let loose a roar towards Altair. As Zekrom charged towards Altair, the electrical turbine increased in strength as Zekrom had begun to fly in a different direction from Altair, as Altair flew off in a separate direction in an attempt to confuse the larger Legendary Pokémon.

"Don't let it get to you that easily, Altair!" Ash said, powering up to his second phase of Aura Mode, as the energy went directly into Altair as Altair had drew out dual swords made of aura and rushed at Zekrom as Zekrom rushed back towards him. As a bit of fog began to fill the area, the two's fight could only be made out with loud clashes and shines of aura and electricity being visible in the air above.

Ash, noticing Altair beginning to partially weaken, charged himself up to his third phase Aura Mode, as Ash gritted his teeth a bit as he had no other clue as to how the fight was progressing, but regardless prepared to draw out an Ultra Ball. Altair and Zekrom were made visible again when Altair charged up an even more intense sphere of aura in his hands before launching it directly into Zekrom, as the Deep Black Pokémon had still yet to truly budge.

Zekrom roared towards Altair, just as Ash began to lose his composure a bit more and could feel a more intense surge of energy enter his body, as aura began to spark and surge around himself as Ash could feel the intensity of his own Aura Mode beginning to increase tenfold. Zekrom took notice of this and had begun to move to strike at Altair with a powerful tackle of electrical energy, but while Altair was knocked backwards, Altair simply grinned when the attack had landed.

"Now then, Altair! Aura Storm!" Ash called, as Altair moved to charge an even more intense level of aura energy in his hands, his entire body practically on fire, as he pointed his palms out towards Zekrom as a powerful beam of energy moved towards and struck Zekrom with a powerful, intense level of energy that Zekrom was visibly taking heavy damage from for the duration it was lasting.

As the dust in the sky dissipated from the aftermath of the attack, Zekrom could be seen floating down lower towards Ash's level as it looked heavily weakened, as Zekrom moved to stand back on the top of the tower directly, all the while Altair moved to float beside Ash as Ash grabbed an Ultra Ball into his hand and faced Zekrom.

"Now then, Ultra Ball, GO!" Ash called as he threw out the Ultra Ball, the amount of aura energy it had absorbed into itself becoming prevalent as the Ultra Ball drew in Zekrom within to itself as it landed on the floor of the roof as it remained quietly and unmoving for what seemed like an eternity as Ash and Altair both looked towards it…

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

With Zekrom now fully contained in the Ultra Ball, Ash slowly walked over towards it to pick it up, as he now questioned what would happen next; he knew of the next gym's type, and he knew Zekrom had an advantage against it. Should he simply use Zekrom as an emergency unless things are forced into his hands as to having to actually use Zekrom for the battle?

Regardless, Ash looked over towards Altair once the fight had been done; Altair reverting back into an ordinary Lucario as he looked over towards Ash a bit cheerfully.

"S-Sorry… The newfound power got to my head there a little bit…" Altair told Ash, as Ash blinked as he did what was necessary to dissipate his active aura still remaining.

"I understand; I had used aura so much more actively here for this fight than I normally would, that I didn't expect you'd get that much of a power boost from it." Ash told him, as Altair chuckled a bit nervously.

"… Uh… no… I had meant the power from simply evolving into Lucario…" Altair told Ash as Ash looked at him and blinked.

"… Oh." Ash said as he quietly chuckled towards that, before Ash looked over towards the still rising sun and took a moment for this all to sink in still. Would the others view him differently now that he had a Legendary Pokémon with him that had fair surpassed the ones he had known for certain the others had?

As Ash and Altair walked back into the tower, Ash stopped again towards where Simisear's grave was at in the second to last floor. As Ash walked back up to it, he made a gesture with his hands to ignite them into aura as he forged a crystal-like set of flowers out of thin air, before placing them in front of Simisear's grave. As Ash had one last look at it for now, both he and Altair were quiet as they had slowly both moved to leave back into Mistralton City and then back towards the others as they were probably awake by this point.

Minutes would pass as Ash walked with Altair in tow as the Pokémon Center room where he and his friends stayed in was still relatively quiet. Cheren and Bianca were the only ones awake, as Cheren looked rather bored and slowly beginning to doze again as he had watched Misty and Iris in their bed, both of them oblivious to Ash's absence as they were snuggling each other. Cheren couldn't help but smile a little bit.

Bianca, meanwhile, was in the shower as she hummed to herself; Musharna was right beside her in the water, but was rather quiet even if she was content with being near her trainer. One thing was certain; Bianca was certainly affectionate with how she was washing both Musharna and herself.

"Say, Musharna… I have to ask something… Well… Something for when I'm older…" Bianca began to speak up towards Musharna, as the Drowsing Pokémon let out a soft mooing sound as she was confused.

"Well… Basically… I'm not exactly scared of either of our parents trying to separate Cheren and I… not anymore after having long known that they both approve of our relationship, but, I couldn't help but think to myself…" Bianca began to explain, as Musharna listened in.

"Do you think that, at least somewhere down the road, something will happen between Cheren and I, regardless of what it is, to where we'll only barely be able to see each other?" Bianca asked, as she didn't even seem to notice the bathroom door as having opened at that point.

"Well… I'm just sort of scared and all… I mean, once years go by, well, I was looking forward to a happy life to share alongside Cheren, but… I'm just concerned if we'll both end up in a job where seeing each other will be difficult each passing day… so would I'm just concerned I'm not giving Cheren enough happiness as it is…" Bianca spoke, as Musharna only let out a soft moo towards a figure walking into the shower stall with the two of them.

"Bianca…? Is there something you want to talk about?" A concerned Cheren asked as Bianca gasped a bit in surprise, noticing how Cheren had stripped down to join her as Bianca blushed.

"Well… um… do you think years from now, regardless of what comes our way, that we'll still be able to keep each other happy…?" Bianca asked of Cheren, as Cheren moved to gently hug her, Bianca initially not hugging back out of confusion before slowly moving to do so.

"Bianca… Even if we both land ourselves a job where spending time with each other is difficult… I won't ever complain about it so long as I know you truly desire to stay by my side, like I desire to with you as well…" Cheren said, moving to cup her cheek with his hand affectionately as Bianca looked near ready to cry.

"C-Cheren…" Bianca softy spoke, before the two moved to kiss each other softly on the lips, though after a minute or so the two of them, er, began to take advantage of their current location and situation a little too well…

As Ash walked back into the bedroom, he noticed Iris and Misty were both still asleep, and that Cheren and Bianca were both in the shower with each other from what he could hear. Altair walked beside Ash as they both entered the room, Ash moving over towards Misty and Iris and moving to give the two of them a kiss on their cheeks, which slowly caused the two of them to stir.

"Huh… Wha…?" Iris spoke up, as she looked to notice Ash was already long awake, as she blushed even further when she noticed how close in proximity to Misty she was. "Um, uh… H-Hi, Ash?" Iris tried to speak, as Misty slowly woke up with a yawn, before moving to kiss Ash on the cheek affectionately as the two of them moved to sit to where they both could face Ash.

"So… What exactly had happened while we were still asleep?" Iris asked Ash.

"Well… um… it's a long story…" Ash began to say, as he noticed his Xtransceiver was beginning to ring, and when he had opened up the call, he saw Professor Juniper on the other end with a more serious gaze.

"Ash? How's it been after all of this time? Have you three been having fun as trainers?" Juniper had asked, as Ash nodded.

"Very good… though, as you can already tell by my expression, I have something serious I'd like to speak to you about; I'm back at Nuvema Town, and Drayden recently arrived asking if he could speak with you if you don't mind, though he said he'd prefer if it were in-person." Juniper began to tell Ash, as Ash nodded in understanding.

"Alright; I'm bringing company over to home now that we're going to be staying there for a while, so I just hope you won't act too surprised by it." Ash told Juniper.

"Trust me, I won't; I'm not that easy to surprise." Juniper said as both she and Ash waved at each other before hanging up the call.

As Ash looked over towards Cheren and Bianca walking out of the shower with fresh, cleaning clothing on and fully dry, Ash snickered a bit as to how affectionate the two were towards each other, but didn't bother to say anything just yet, waiting as Cheren noticed Ash was back as he coughed to prepare himself to speak.

"Well, Ash… I'm not sure if you were awake during so, but I had caught a Pokémon that'll be strong enough to carry myself home, with Bianca catching one of her own, so unless you already caught the same Pokémon I suggest you do the same." Cheren spoke up, all the while Ash had a bit of an idea, as Cheren was blinking in uncertainty as to why Ash was quiet at the moment.

"… Um… What's with the other Ultra Ball on your belt?"

As the group went outside, Iris called out Latias as both herself and Misty got onto her back and were ready to fly. Cheren and Bianca both called a Pokémon that was new to Ash, but he quickly did a brief scan of it on his Pokédex to learn more information on it.

"Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon and the Final Form of Rufflet. The more scars he has, the more respect these brave soldiers of the sky get from his peers. One can carry a car while flying." Ash's Pokédex finished explaining, as Ash looked over towards the two large avian Pokémon in confusion.

"Hold on, when the Pokédex said something about a specific Pokémon, it was usually gender neutral; what's the deal with Braviary?" Ash asked Cheren.

"Its entire species are all comprised of males."

"Got it. Now, since you're wondering how I'm going to be flying…" Ash said as he took out the Poké Ball on his belt and opened it up in front of him, as instead of emerging with an ordinary colored Poké Ball light, Zekrom appeared from its Poké Ball in a shadowy veil as Zekrom let loose a loud, booming roar that had Iris, Misty, Cheren, and Bianca spooked, all the while Ash moved to leap onto Zekrom's shoulders.

"Shall we get going?" Ash asked the four of them, as they slowly but hesitantly nodded, before Ash motioning for Zekrom to take off into the air first, Latias following behind with Iris and Misty, and then both of the Braviary with Cheren and Bianca following behind Latias.

_**Meanwhile…** _

As Ghetsis looked towards Colress, he was beginning to lose his patience at the moment, but nevertheless remained calm; in the same room with them was Hoopa in its Confined Forme, but Hoopa appeared to be more or less annoyed.

"So, old man and crazy hair… What's the deal with trying to ask for my attention aside from the obvious?" Hoopa asked, before taking notice of Colress holding the Prison Bottle in his hand as Ghetsis smirked a bit.

"We have a special task for you, Hoopa, and we know that you know you can't say no to having access to your own Unbound Forme yet again, so let's make an agreement; you give us three things be it from this universe or another, and I'll have Colress here so you're not only Unbound again, but it'll last for 3 years instead of just 3 days." Ghetsis asked of Hoopa, as Hoopa had a careful look towards Colress working away with a device that the Prison Bottle was hooked up to, and Hoopa noticed too well that they weren't bluffing.

"… Go on..."

**To Be Continued...**


	52. Chapter 51: Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some dark and terrifying secrets a certain someone has are beginning to be revealed...

Ash and co. were flying on the backs of their Pokémon towards Nuvema Town, and as the town was coming up on the horizon, Latias, both of the Braviary, and Zekrom readied themselves to land.

With Delia waiting outside for the quintet to land, she could be seen waving towards the five as they land together with their four, flight capable Pokémon.

"I'm so glad you three are safe after what I've heard!" Delia said, rushing up and practically charging Ash into a ground in a tight hug, whereas Cheren simply sighed.

"Yeah, well, it's been a good travel since we've resumed, and we're all glad we have flying Pokémon to get to and from here or anywhere else in Unova, but could we take this inside?" Cheren asked, as Delia got up as she helped Ash stand up as well.

"Sure, and- Oh… Iris, Misty, what are you two doing here?" Delia asked, taking noticed of Misty and Iris with Latias.

Misty was silent as usual as she visibly blushed, whereas Iris only partially blushed as she attempted to remain calm and serious.

"Delia. We need to talk." Iris said as Delia led everyone inside, Latias, the two Braviary, and Zekrom staying outside all the while Altair and Raichu emerged from their Poké Balls and looked towards the three Pokémon in question.

 _((Looks like we're going to have to train you up, Zekrom.))_ Altair mentally noted.

As Delia led the other five inside, everyone had a seat as Iris eventually began to ask something again.

"Alright… Delia, I know this is going to be timed rather unevenly, but…" Iris began to say…

"Can you tell all of us everything you know regarding Team Plasma?" Iris asked Delia, as Delia gasped a bit in shock, before calming herself down and sighing heavily.

"Iris, what do you mean? I don't recall her having even known about Team Plasma... I mean-"

"Yes, I do know about them..." Delia spoke up, interrupting Ash as now she had his full attention.

"I should've known they would've still been around… especially with Ghetsis still in charge with that kind of power he has access to…" Delia started, "But I'll do my best to explain…" Delia finished, as she moved to sit down in a chair, whereas Ash, Iris, Misty, Cheren, and Bianca went to find their own places to sit in the living room of Ash's home. Once everyone was seated, Delia began to explain.

"It all started with simply dating Colress for a while... He hadn't had me on the scene for any of his job, because he knew it was a terrifying experience... But he's told me a lot about what goes on, possibly even too much of it for my own good..." Delia started off, detailing the beginning of the information Colress had been telling her of...

Of the day in which Colress told her that staying by his side would no longer be a good idea...

**_…_ **

_You find yourself awaken in an unknown laboratory. You find your head is shaking, your body is shivering from the cold… yet you embrace it._

_You look before you and see an old, green haired man before you; one that looks familiar to you. As the man could be heard talking, you recognize his voice as he speaks to his blond and silver haired ally._

_Whose voice is that? Why does this place look familiar to you? You take a while to think; to ponder on the subject until you can come up with an answer._

_You finally reach a conclusion. You grab for a Poké Ball from your belt and draw out a three headed, Dragon Type Pokémon from which you proceed to kill the familiar man before you with a powerful blast of energy._

_You can feel your heart pumping faster and faster; the blond man with the silver streak looks towards you and moves to give you proper clothing, so that you would endure the coldness of the lab. He asks you for your name._

_"Ghetsis. Ghetsis Harmonia." You speak to him. The blond man looks shocked, but otherwise impressed._

"So, the Triad was correct; this 'Shadow World' does indeed exist after all." The man spoke, as he smiled. "The name's Colress, but I think you already know of that." Colress introduced to Ghetsis, all the while Ghetsis looked over towards the other man's corpse just as his multi-headed Pokémon remained quiet and motionless.

"Who is that fool with my own image right there?" Ghetsis asked, all the while Colress smirked.

"That would you be you; the old, poor suited you native to my world. I have brought you over towards this world to replace him." Colress explained. Ghetsis simply remained quiet, before letting out a dark, raspy chuckle.

"What was the occasion? Did he fail to live up to your expectations?" Ghetsis asked regarding his doppelganger as his tri-headed Pokémon moved to begin to eat from the now corpse of a copy of himself; Colress didn't even flinch as to this behavior.

"Tell me… Why did you bring me here? Did you need my assistance that badly?" Ghetsis asked Colress, as Colress chuckled.

"Actually, it was the Triad who had suggested I summon you…" Colress stated.

_The Triad? Those fools must've been desperate for their original master, though there must be something else… why would they need me?_

_…_

_No, no they must be nothing more than fools than to need me; the real me._

As Ghetsis tried to rationalize why the Shadow Triad would need him here, the three in question soon showed themselves behind Ghetsis.

"We didn't think messing with our original realm, our original time, would work unless we were to bring over the true honor to the name of Ghetsis Harmonia." The leader spoke, as Ghetsis looked over towards him and let out a small, deep chuckle.

"Then tell me… Mind fetching Zinzolin for me? I have an untrustworthy doppelganger to slay…" Ghetsis ordered, as the Triad looked at each other, before nodding and watching as Ghetsis and his Pokémon disappeared into the shadows. As they themselves disappeared into the shadows, Aldith emerged towards Colress as she looked at him coldly.

"How can you even tolerate us to begin with?" Aldith asked him, as Colress chuckled.

"Simple, my dear; as long as I am paid, I will endure whatever it is Lord Ghetsis asks of me." Colress told her, before looking over towards an empty pod of sorts.

"Now then, dear Aldith; if you could please fetch a legendary artifact called the "Prison Bottle", I have some much needed experimentation I need to finish; Ghetsis will love what exactly I have in mind..." Colress asked of Aldith, as Aldith nodded and disappeared into the shadows, all the while Colress began typing away on his computer…

Colress eventually pulled up footage from a Pokémon Battle that was occurring; he took heavy notice as to how Ash and his Samurott had developed a strong bond with each other as to how Samurott was able to attain a new forme, but Colress was most especially interested in their combatant; Flare, the "WarGreymon", as Hilbert had called her.

"Fascinating... So I see that experiment involving messing with time worked... But who are these figures? I need to know more..."

Flare's presence on the battlefield filled Colress with many ideas, as Colress began typing away onto his keyboard as to download information from Flare's scan to see if he could determine any weaknesses or exploits in her system. Upon finding the results he had desired, Colress pressed a button quietly as a machine had begun to process creating and manufacturing a device for Colress' intentions.

_What is this lifeform? What is it doing here in our world? What could I do to take advantage of its existence?_

_**...** _

_I know what I'll need for the plan to work; I just need to wait on Colress' devices to succeed in developing a seal for this beast. That way I'll be able to contain it and control it._

_After all, what is there to not gain from controlling such a powerful beast of war?_

"So that's how you had found me?"

"Indeed."

Back in the present, Ghetsis and Colress looked towards Hoopa as they were bargaining with Hoopa for what they needed.

"Now then, I'm certain you're familiar with WarGreymon from two weeks prior, correct?" Colress asked Hoopa, as Hoopa's expression widened in panic.

"Yeeeah… Uh… Problem with that… If you intend for me to capture her again, I'll need to be in my unbound power… Let's just say I got a threat from somebody else from her universe as to why I need the power to pull it off this time." Hoopa explained to Ghetsis and Colress, as Ghetsis looked towards Colress and gave a nod.

"Alright." Ghetsis spoke up, as he approached the Prison Bottle as Colress released it from his computer's grasp, before Ghetsis proceeded to open it up by channeling shadowy energy into it, and as a result, a surge of immense power trailed into Hoopa's body. In a plume of pink smoke, Hoopa emerged from the smoke as a 21 foot tall colossus with six arms ready to grasp at anything it was commanded.

" **Now then, key thing before I do this; do you have a means to restrain her this time?"** Hoopa asked the two, as Ghetsis nodded. Colress pressed a button which caused for a special device to show itself from a panel, as Ghetsis moved to grab hold of it.

Hoopa, noticing this, opened a portal with four of its arms as its two other arms reached in to grab hold of something from within the void.

Hoopa was quick to slam the entity it had grabbed hold of into the wall nearest to Ghetsis, as the dazed, but struggling, form of Flare could be seen in his grasp.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, Hoopa!" Flare yelled out, before Ghetsis walked towards her and secured a dark binding of sorts onto her left shoulder, as Flare recoiled once the device shocked her, her eyes closing from their normal green coloration…

… As they opened up into a glowing, soulless red as she growled slowly and quietly. As she was being secured by the device, her entire coloration changed in the process of this madness; her armor gaining silver to it, her hair becoming white, and her scales turning black in coloration, all the while Flare's movements were ominously still.

As Hoopa released its grasp on Flare, it looked back towards Ghetsis and Colress again.

" **First wish down, time for the remaining two."** Hoopa spoke, as Hoopa recoiled a bit once a stream of frigid, fire-like air hit it from the still open portal.

As a metallic, wolf-like animal emerged from the still open portal, Ghetsis and Colress barely had a chance to react as the second Digimon moved to attack Hoopa, as various pores on its body opened up and revealed numerous missile sockets.

"Grand Cross Freezer!" It called out, but Hoopa was quick to rapidly punch the Digimon before it had a chance to execute the attack, and was quick to grab hold of it and throw it into another portal and out of the area in haste. As Hoopa took a few deep breaths, Hoopa looked towards Ghetsis and Colress.

"… **Continue…"** Hoopa spoke to Ghetsis and Colress, as Ghetsis walked back towards Colress and Hoopa.

"Hmmm, now that simply gaining control of them again won't be an issue, perhaps if we could ask for a repaired refinery for forging Genesect with?" Ghetsis asked of Hoopa, as Hoopa's eyes glowed an intense red before machinery could be heard downstairs, ready for action.

" **Done. Although I must warn you that this could backfire horrifically for all of us, yes?"** Hoopa spoke to Ghetsis.

"I'll be more than willing to pay the price, but it'll be worth it in the end." Ghetsis spoke, as he looked towards Colress' computer screen, as Colress turned it around to face Hoopa, showcasing a specialized cane with special properties that they lacked the materials to create.

"Now then, with one last thing for us, how's about creating us this special cane for Ghetsis with the properties and schematics listed here?" Colress asked of Hoopa, as Hoopa nodded, as its eyes glowed again, before the cane in question appeared in Colress' device creation machine.

" **Now then, with that all said and done, I'll just take my leave and-"**

Hoopa didn't even have a chance to finish its words before it was suddenly slammed on the head with tremendous force; the deep blue and pink Poké Ball that Hoopa had used before to restrain Flare with was tossed at its large head, scoring a direct hit which caused the giant Mythical Pokémon to get sucked into the Master Ball with overwhelming power.

" **You'll… You'll pay for this…"**

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

As Ghetsis moved to claim the Master Ball from the ground, Colress looked towards the machine that Colress activated just at the moment and placed the Master Ball inside of it. As shadowy energy began to surge and spark into the Master Ball, Hoopa could be heard yelling and screaming in agony as this dark process was being performed, all the while its painful shouting could be heard ceasing as the machine stopped fueling the Master Ball with shadow energy.

As Ghetsis reclaimed the Master Ball from it and opened it up, watching as Hoopa appeared before him with a cold, ominous silence. As Hoopa displayed the same, glowing red eyes that Flare had, Ghetsis merely smirked as to both of his new prizes.

"Awaiting further orders, Lord Ghetsis." Colress told Ghetsis, as Ghetsis chuckled darkly.

"Track down the five unique Genesect; see which of the five is the most durable of them. Once you find the most durable of the quintet, eliminate the other four into scrap if they survive for too long." Ghetsis commanded of Colress in a dark, growling voice as Colress nodded.

"Roger that, Lord Ghetsis. Though, if I may, why are we scrapping the weakest four of the five?" Colress asked, as Ghetsis chuckled.

"Because, if we have the spare metal from the runts, we can melt them down into additional material to strengthen the armor on the strongest of them." Ghetsis told Colress, as he looked his sights towards the five Genesect on the screen, with his attention focused on Geneshine, who so far was indicated to be the strongest of the five so far…

Only time would tell if Ghetsis would determine Geneshine to be the strongest, or the potential fates of the other four unique Genesect. Ghetsis, for the moment though, simply went towards the container with his new cane and moved to grab hold of it.

"Now then, Colress… I have some very specific orders that I need to be tested and executed, and I must have emergency backup while I'm gone." Ghetsis informed Colress, as Colress gave a nod before Ghetsis walked over towards the growling Flare, and then escorts her and the Master Ball containing Hoopa through a shadowy gate.

As Ghetsis disappeared through, though, Aldith and the Shadow Triad were eyeing the entire scene, all four of them with their eyes wide as to what exactly they could feel was about to go down.

"Should we stop him?" One of the Shadow Triad asked the other two.

"It is… not our place, true… but something feels very wrong about this entire plan he now has…" One of them spoke, before the leader simply looked towards Aldith, taking notice of an Ultra Ball she has on her belt.

"Go. Now." He told her, as Aldith didn't need any further convincing to leave the scene, all the while the Shadow Triad quickly drew out Poké Balls as Colress had already prepared for the Shadow Triad's intervention; already no less than six Genesect Drones had barged into the room to attack the Shadow Triad.

As the Triad disappeared into shadows and dragging at least three of the drones with them, the three left behind were given the command from Colress to seek out the other unique Genesect as they flew out of the area to seek the others out, all the while Colress merely pulled up a screen to observe what was soon to happen on Ghetsis' end…

_But what of the original plan? To conquer Unova?_

_You won't even have to do even that anymore; you've already conquered Unova in another world, you can easily do it again here if you want._

_I understand, but to be perfectly honest, I believe that if I were to do anything here, let me leave a mark on history instead…_

_Yes, but of course! To be feared! To be strong! To be worshiped! That is my ultimate goal!_

As Ghetsis re-emerged in the middle of a desert of within Unova, Ghetsis was quick to draw out the Master Ball containing Hoopa and then letting the Djinn Pokémon out of its containment. As the colossal, six armed Mythical Pokémon eyed Ghetsis with demonic eyes, Ghetsis finally gave the command.

"Summon Dialga and Palkia." Ghetsis spoke, as Hoopa had two of its arms disappear into rings formed from its wrists, as the sound of a struggle could be heard as both Dialga and Palkia were dragged out of their native dimensions and out into the open. As the towering Legendary Pokémon both focused their rage onto Ghetsis, they both let loose a roar towards him all the while Hoopa served as a blockade to the duo from trying to reach Ghetsis.

Palkia was the first to act, roaring as an intense energy charged in its arms to prepare to attack, but Flare was given the command to attack Palkia first, and when Flare did so, she struck Palkia with her razor sharp, armored "Dramon Destroyers", as she slashed at Palkia with a sharp, and brutal, melee strike that actually caused an unknown liquid to leak from Palkia upon landing the attack.

As Flare moved to strike at Palkia repeatedly with her massive, clawed weapons, Dialga had attempted to attack Flare in the mundane but effective move to freeze Flare temporarily which, at first, seemed to work…

… Until Ghetsis slammed his cane down into the ground, causing Flare to unfreeze from time as Dialga roared and made an attempt to do so again…

… But it could neither work this power against neither Flare, Hoopa, nor Ghetsis if it had tried to do so again. Realizing things were getting intense, Dialga roared fiercely in panic as Palkia finally dropped to the ground once Flare did a serious number to it, just as Flare spiraled up into the air to charge an immense amount of destructive energy into its attack, before dropping the sphere of energy onto Palkia as Dialga decided now to act and use itself as a shield for Palkia…

… Until the sphere was absorbed and eaten whole by the emerging, void-like entity that had emerged as a serpent-like entity with six wings, before transforming into a six legged, winged dragon and roaring an immense shriek towards Ghetsis and Hoopa.

Almost immediately, Hoopa warped four of its arms out of the desert of an arena entirely upon Ghetsis' command, and gestured them to appear from portals surrounding the Renegade Pokémon, repeatedly and rapidly punching the far less mobile Legendary Pokémon into submission just as Flare charged a second, giant sized dark sphere of energy, and then proceeding to drop it again onto all three of them this time around.

_**"I'M GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF THIS SHIT, GHETSIS."** _

Arceus finally arrived to the scene from an array of light shining onto the ground, all the while Ghetsis merely turned towards the Alpha Pokémon and simply scoffed.

"Then if you're so sick and tired of it, I have a simple request; strike me down." Ghetsis spoke towards Arceus, as Arceus simply yelled in rage as it had its 17 plates emerged from its side as a sphere of energy was being formed on the tip of Arceus' snout…

… Before Ghetsis slammed his cane down again, causing Arceus' plates to suddenly turn to stone as Arceus was knocked out of the sky as if something had struck Arceus with a powerful blow. As Arceus struggled to recover from this severe downgrade in strength, Ghetsis had walked up to the Alpha Mythical Pokémon…

… But even without its abilities over all of creation, one does not simply strike down God without an actual fight.

As Arceus was quick to buck and rear itself back to standing on the ground, the sheer force of Arceus' quick burst of power causing Ghetsis to get launched backwards, only barely avoiding getting blown away entirely due to stabbing his cane into the ground.

As Ghetsis growled, he let loose a powerful yell as he grabbed his remaining Poké Balls on hand to send out his other Pokémon to assist in the fight; the three headed Hydreigon, the bison-like Bouffalant, the spectral Cofagrigus, the charged Eelektross, and the absurdly sharp Bisharp.

As all five Pokémon joined Hoopa and Flare in the fight against Arceus, Hoopa was near immediate to summon all six of its arms away this time, before all six of them proceeded to punch and land powerful jabs against Arceus' incredibly durable hide, as while Arceus recoiled from each hit, Arceus was taking almost no actual damage from the attack.

As Flare jumped into the air, she span in a vortex as an intense amount of a pitch black energy surrounded her, before she propelled herself like a rocket towards Arceus like a drill; even with her power having been unleashed in full, Arceus was barely budging from the attack, and once Arceus moved to fire an intense blast of energy from its head, Flare was sent flying backwards and out of sight, landing on the ground to recover.

As Flare roared towards Arceus to get the other five Pokémon to attack, Bisharp was quick to strike at Arceus with a sudden, reinforced strike to Arceus' neck; even that did little to faze it, as Arceus moved to trample the landscape, the blunt force of Arceus' struggle sending Bisharp flying as Cofagrigus and Eelektross moved to attack with status moves to try and cripple Arceus.

As Arceus turned its gaze towards them, Hoopa reacquired Arceus' attention when a rapid fire number of fists moved to punch Arceus hard, the hits intensifying in strength, all the while Flare recovers in to participate in the fight again, before she charges and grabs Bouffalant and throws it head first into Arceus, the recoil sending Arceus backwards as Bouffalant faints on the spot. Cofagrigus and Eelektross, after hitting Arceus numerous times with either Poison, Dark, Fire, and Electric type moves, the former channels a move onto Arceus as it draws near.

Arceus sees through Cofagrigus' attempt, but is now greeted with Hoopa's strength having intensified to where all six of Hoopa's arms are capable of holding Arceus in place, just as Bisharp and Bouffalant re-enter the battlefield and slash and ram into Arceus respectively, with Hydreigon, Eelektross, and Hoopa using Hyper Beam to strike Arceus at the same time, all the while Flare is in the air charging an immense, gigantic sphere of destructive dark energy, before throwing it and slamming it into Arceus at full force.

As the full force of Flare's attack levels almost the entire area to below sea level, Arceus still appears to be putting a fight against all of them even after having lost much of its power, as Arceus makes an attempt to strike Cofagrigus with a powerful blast of fiery energy, just as Cofagrigus collapses while giving off a sinister laughter. Suddenly feeling very weakened because of this, Arceus only then collapses to the ground in heavy pain and exhaustion, as all of Ghetsis' Pokémon are returned to their Poké Balls with the exception of Hoopa.

As Ghetsis is safely escorted before Arceus' presence with Flare, Ghetsis merely smirks as he watches how the supposed invincible Alpha Mythical Pokémon is on the very ground, heavily exhausted and too drained of power to fight back against Ghetsis' advance, all the while Ghetsis moves to reveal his right arm from his cloak. As the arm looked much like an unusual type of prosthetic, the hand of it grasped onto Arceus' face and began to drain some form of energy from Arceus, all the while Arceus only can shout and grunt in the sheer pain of electrical surges going through its body.

"It's always the same; a Pokémon, even if it's revered as a deity, is still just a Pokémon." Ghetsis taunted, all the while his grasp let go of Arceus after getting what he wants, as both he, Hoopa, and Flare disappear into the shadowy portal in which they had arrived on the scene to begin with...

Arceus, laying on the ground unconscious alongside the three other Legendary Pokémon, eventually recovered from their beating, as Arceus looked around at its surroundings as its mind felt dazed and heavily fogged up.

 _ **"… WHY AM I HERE?! WHAT MADNESS IS THIS?!"**_ Arceus yelled, not remembering a thing, but looking over towards the three lesser Legendary Pokémon before it. **_"YOU THREE. BACK TO WHERE YOU BELONG. I DON'T KNOW HOW WE WOUND UP HERE, BUT WE'RE LEAVING."_**

As Arceus made its orders loud and clear, Dialga, Palkia, and the unnamed third Pokémon disappeared into their respective dimensions, as Arceus quickly summoned itself back into the Hall of Origin.

What exactly Ghetsis had to gain from this, nobody was certain…

_**...** _

"… Except all of that I had just told you is what had happened a year after Sirius had first vanished." Delia told the group in her house; Ash was shocked, but remained calm even through one could feel anger rise from him; Iris and Misty looked horrified, and Cheren and Bianca looked a mix between furious and worried sick at the same time each.

"Wow… I didn't realize you had such a lucky break with Sirius, Delia… I mean… I knew Ragnus was bad news, but the fact you had dated Gh-"

"Colress, Cheren." Delia corrected, as Ash practically fainted as both Misty and Iris were trying to calm him down. "I couldn't even remotely imagine myself being near Ghetsis in such a way; that's just disturbing on sooo many levels." Delia remarked, as Bianca looked worried.

"But… If that happened nearly 15 years ago… Why isn't Ghetsis just using whatever power he had gained to simply gain an instant win for all of Team Plasma?" Bianca asked, as Delia sighed.

"We're all thankful he's probably just too busy right now gloating in his mind about how he had did a number to Arceus of all Pokémon. That's why I'm telling all five of you right now…" Delia began to finish, as Ash was beginning to wake back up.

"That if either of you five think fighting Ghetsis with a Legendary Pokémon will intimidate him against fighting you, it won't even manage to do that in the slightest." Delia said, as Ash finally focused his attention on Delia once he was awake again.

"Alright then, mom… quick question…" Ash began to ask, as he had handed Delia the note that was meant for her from the small box he had gotten his note and the Thunder Stone for Raichu from. As Delia examined the note, her expression went cold and terrified as she analyzed every detail of what Sirius had to say about her prior to his death, and how serious Ash was with Delia at this very moment.

"Who the fuck is Ragnus?"

**To Be Continued…**


	53. Chapter 52: Regrets of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delia and Ash have a talk with each other as the two try and reconcile over what had happened, all the while Ghetsis has plans involving a second artificial Pokémon...

As Delia began to explain to Ash and his friends about the man named Ragnus, she could only tell so much out loud due to what all had happened.

She told Ash about a man she had known before she had met Sirius, and at one point during their lives, Sirius' relationship with Delia after they were married felt like it had heavily lacked the energy of themselves when they had first started.

"Sounds like you shouldn't have tried to enter a relationship with him so soon…" Bianca muttered, as Delia sighed.

"Still, it doesn't excuse me for what I did while I was technically still with Sirius…" Delia mumbled, as she could tell Ash was slowly, but quietly, rather furious towards her. As Delia shed a slight tear of regret, she continued.

"Ragnus, to put things mildly, was a sociopath; when he had tried to propose to me with a gift due to him believing I wasn't happy with Sirius, I had actually accepted. However, I did not know of how the gift in question was from a fragment of a freshly killed Phione." Delia stuttered at the last bit, as Ash calmed as he was listening more closely now.

"That is how I began to know who Victini from before your last stop here, Ash; it had met up with me while I was cursed into the form of a Phione while Manaphy took its rage out on me, and only after I was purified back into a human form by my sister, only then did Ragnus get what was coming to him." Delia explained.

"But why would you betray Sirius like that?" Ash asked Delia, sounding rather hurt in his tone.

"I was spending days upon days alone thinking he had ditched me for another woman, Ash! Had I known back then that Sirius had thought the other way around I would've cut all connections with Ragnus or Colress before I would have slept with either of them!" Delia told Ash.

"Well maybe if you hadn't been acting like a whore towards these two other men than maybe Sirius would still be alive!" Ash retorted, as Ash's aura had flared up as Cheren, Bianca, Iris, and Misty both moved away from Ash out of fright as to what feelings Ash was going through at the moment. Delia remained quietly, tears forming in her eyes as she still tried to look Ash in the eyes.

"A-Ash… You don't seem to realize how lonely and miserable my life was without anybody to share it with… I-I…" Delia tried to explain, as Ash tried to calm himself down from his aura activated state but found it very difficult to do so.

"So you decided to simply cheat on dad? Is that what you're willing to do in life if it means you'll never be alone?!" Ash asked from Delia. Delia was beginning to cry softly at this point.

"A-Ash… please… stop it…" Delia spoke, as Ash was still unable to find a way to calm himself down.

"He died alone in a cave with an abomination that had killed him and would later encounter me and almost kill me as well! Do you know how I feel knowing that dad had died such a horrifying death and with the feeling he was betrayed to his own grave?!" Ash spoke, as his aura intensified into its solidified state around himself, all the while Delia was getting scared as to how Ash had become so powerful; she had only seen such levels of power from Sirius before.

"Ash, calm yourself down! Please!" Cheren yelled towards Ash, as Bianca was sheltering her eyes from the intense aura radiating from Ash, her eyes practically watery due to how intense of an effect Ash's aura had on her eyesight.

"Ash, please, what do you want me to say?! I'm 16 nearing 17 years too late to simply apologize! Do you think anybody would truly forgive me now that it had been so long?! I truly wish I could simply rewrite the past, but even with having had a brief friendship with Celebi and Dialga even they both know that would be too much! If I could change the past to where Sirius didn't die, how could I even stand a chance against such a monstrosity and not simply befall the same fate he did and die knowing you're living without any parents after that! Do you know how terrible I would feel knowing that if I did indeed attempt to change the past like that but only failed and made it worse?!" Delia spoke out, as she was beginning to cry more audibly now. Ash had snapped out of his rage at that point, as his eyes widened as everyone in the room could feel Ash's aura begin to calm.

"Ash, I'm not sure of how to make this up to anyone for my terrible behavior all of those years ago… I know changing the past would be impossible by this point, but I want to do something for you, something to make you happy even if I have difficulty with trying to do so… Something that would make the two of us happy and complete in our lives…" Delia began to speak again once she had slowly stopped crying, as Delia slowly concentrated her vision to merely look at Ash.

"Could you take me to see Sirius' grave, please?" Delia asked of Ash. Ash, his gaze feeling heavy regret for nearly having panicked everyone in the room with his outburst, felt his gaze soften as tears began to form in his eyes. Without even questioning himself, his mom, his friends, or even speaking anything, he moved too quickly approach Delia and hug her as one could now hear him audibly cry.

Cheren and Bianca looked over towards Misty and Iris, just as Cheren gave Bianca a napkin to rub her eyes clean with, all the while Delia looked over towards the former two first, then towards the latter two.

"… You two can do what you feel is right; you two should probably head home to inform your parents you're home and then-"

"Stay, please…" Ash spoke towards the two of them, as Cheren and Bianca looked surprised.

"Are you sure, Ash? This is a very sensitive time for you…" Bianca asked, as Cheren nodded.

"She's not wrong, Ash; it would be best if we were to leave you alone to allow you time to calm your nerves…" Cheren told him, all the while Misty remained silent all the while mentally cursing at herself for her inability to speak, as Iris remained quiet due to being uncertain as to how to brighten the mood at a subject like this.

"I would appreciate it if you all stay by my side and help me calm my nerves… You've done so much to do just the same for six years prior to use becoming trainers, after all, even when I had told you to just go on ahead without me…" Ash spoke towards Cheren and Bianca, causing Misty and Iris' eyes to widen a bit as the two of them looked towards Cheren and Bianca.

Cheren and Bianca didn't know what to say; they knew Ash wasn't wrong, they did actually choose to selflessly delay their journey as Pokémon Trainers even as Ash had insisted on the two of them to just begin without him. Now, here Ash was after almost three weeks had passed since they had begun their journeys, as Ash was in a vulnerable state of emotions that was unlike the situation the three were in before they began their journey.

"… Ash…" Cheren and Bianca both spoke in unison, before quickly moving towards him as the two of them both moved to hug Ash tightly to get him to calm down. Even as Bianca's eyes were watering due to Ash's still active aura, she endured it just because one of her closest childhood friends had needed comfort after such a heavy situation.

"It'll be alright; we'll stay by your side to ensure you'll not have to be in this alone…" Cheren spoke to Ash first.

"Don't worry, Ash; we're not going to leave if you don't want us to…" Bianca spoke up, a few tears trailing down her face even if most of it was her eyes having been dried out due to difficulties with gazing upon Ash in his current state.

"Look, Ash… I may have felt like a fool for having shown up initially… but I no longer regret it now that I'm seeing you like this…" Iris spoke, as she moved to join in the group hug as well. Misty didn't say anything; she would much prefer to, but her lack of an ability to speak had made it impossible. So instead, she simply, and affectionately, moved to join in the group hug with both of her partners, her two friends, and Delia.

Delia only further helped Ash calm down as did his friends, feeling as the affection shown from the five of them had calmed Ash's nerves down. As Delia slowly watched as Ash's aura dissipated entirely as Ash finally calmed, neither of the five had moved away from Ash until they were certain he was calmed down.

"Are you feeling better, Ash…?" Delia asked her son, as she noticed something, which made Cheren, Bianca, Iris, and Misty all feel rather awkward all of a sudden; Ash had actually fallen asleep due to their comfort.

"… I think it may be best for me to take him to his room, now." Delia said, as she carefully moved to pick Ash up, before slowly walking and taking him towards his room upstairs so that he could get some proper sleep. Cheren, Bianca, Misty, and Iris remained downstairs all the while.

"We should probably get to training our Pokémon if he's going to be asleep." Bianca brought up, as the other three nodded.

"Yeah, good idea; I have yet to begin properly training Latias just yet, so it would be a good idea to train all of our Pokémon." Iris spoke up.

[Definitely a good idea; though I need somewhere safe to train my own Pokémon in particular.] Misty texted to Bianca's Xtransceiver in order to tell them that she had a certain Pokémon that could only train in a select number of areas.

"I'm sure whichever Pokémon it is, it'll be safe to train towards the coast of the town." Bianca told Misty, as Cheren nodded.

"Yeah, trust me; Kyogre will be safer to train there since Nuvema Town is impossible to actually manage to flood in any way." Cheren spoke up, as Misty's eyes widened as she texted Cheren next.

[… How did you know it was Kyogre?] Misty asked him, as Cheren shrugged.

"Process of elimination I suppose. You did say it would be hazardous to let outside of its Poké Ball a week or so ago when you had mentioned it would ruin the nice weather." Cheren spoke up, as Bianca and Iris nodded.

"It's not like Politoad would've done nearly as much extensive rainfall either." Iris mentioned.

"I agree; Kyogre would be the only Pokémon with Drizzle to cause that type of downpour." Bianca noted.

[… If it's alright with you three I suppose.] Misty texted them as to tell them that she was okay with training Kyogre alongside their other Pokémon.

As a loud crack of thunder could be heard outside, the four moved outside to have a look towards what had happened, as Altair and Raichu could be seen outside with the recently crashed Zekrom. Zekrom, slowly moving to stand, noticed how Altair and Raichu didn't even have a scratch on either of them, while it itself had numerous bruises on its durable hide.

"Again." Altair spoke, as Raichu charged up an electrical surge of energy within itself as it had unleashed telekinetic blast of energy towards Zekrom, taking the form of a massive sphere of fire that slammed down onto Zekrom. As Zekrom took the hit, Zekrom surged with electricity as it had flown up into the air, giving an immense pulse of electrical energy outwards, before slamming its electrically charged body down onto Raichu.

As Raichu grabbed Zekrom with a telekinetic force midair, Zekrom was tossed clean out towards the ocean as Zekrom was submerged into the water. Misty silently gave a giggling gesture as she called out a special Poké Ball, and tossed it out towards the sea; upon opening up, the large, Orca-like Legendary Pokémon known as Kyogre emerged and landed itself on the surface of the water.

As an intense level of energy had begun to surge and form around Kyogre, a crystalline sphere of raw, primal energy formed around Kyogre as a lowercase Alpha could be seen in bright blue on the sphere, before the sphere exploded upon as Kyogre let loose a loud, powerful roar-like sound, as Kyogre's appearance now had yellow colored lines across its body, a belly that was practically transparent, and much longer proportions in addition to being much larger overall.

Zekrom, flying out of the water as its own body surged with electricity, looked down towards Kyogre with a roar of absolute rage as it was directed towards the new challenger. Bianca and Cheren, looking at each other and nodding, both sent out Emboar and Serperior respectively as they had turned their sights towards Altair and Raichu.

Altair grinned a bit as he charged up his own aura as Bianca had gathered her own Heartsoul energy around herself, as Cheren did the same. Drawing energy indirectly from the both of them onto one of its fists, Altair slammed said hand and its other, aura charged fist into each other as a bright, powerful sphere of energy formed around Altair, before exploding as a bright, rainbow colored DNA helix formed over his head as he had Mega Evolved himself into Mega Lucario.

"Hey! Don't forget about me!" Iris spoke up, as Iris called out Latias from her Poké Ball next, Iris performed a flip as she had revealed a Key Stone on one of the bands in her hair, before tapping it as energy had surged into Latias, as Latias could feel a sphere of energy form around herself, before exploding as her reddish body became a purple colored, streamlined, flight capable Legendary Pokémon in the form of Mega Latias.

_**Meanwhile…** _

Colress had a clear view of the ensuing training from the four trainers from afar with his computer, all the while Ghetsis looked towards the eagerly waiting Hoopa.

' _I'm actually surprised, really; I didn't think whatever power Ghetsis had taken would allow history to literally repeat itself like this…'_ Colress thought to himself, as he watched and waited upon Ghetsis and Hoopa's words, before beginning to explain to Hoopa about what he would do for the Prison Bottle.

"You see, Hoopa, whereas you had fought Arceus in the past and had failed to do anything to it, Ghetsis, on the other hand, had actually managed to do a number to Arceus in the past and succeed in stealing something from it. In other words, Ghetsis has the power to manipulate the Prison Bottle's seal; changing it from 3 days to 3 years with relative ease." Colress explained to Hoopa, all the while Hoopa grinned.

"Oooh, an enemy of Arceus I see? How do you know Big A is going to allow this, though?" Hoopa questioned, as Ghetsis darkly chuckled.

"It won't even have the chance to disapprove; it can't detect that you're even here in the first place, nor does it have any memory of its encounter with me all those years ago!" Ghetsis spoke towards Hoopa, as Hoopa chuckled.

"Alrighty then, Big G, so first thing's first; what wish do we get out of our hair to start off?" Hoopa asked Ghetsis, before Ghetsis would move over towards the Prison Bottle and unleashing the seal on it towards Hoopa, watching as Hoopa absorbed its power from within again as it had transformed into its giant, six armed form.

"First, we need you to secure not just one Digimon, but two; over the years we had identified two specimens, a Digimon named Flare known as WarGreymon, and a Digimon named Tempest known as MetalGarurumon; if you would please bring both of them into my own control, that would be the first wish." Ghetsis had asked, as Hoopa summoned forth a ring, moving a hand into it as he grabbed Flare from her own dimension, and almost immediately the corrupting device used by Ghetsis in the past was yet again placed on her shoulder.

 **"I'm afraid for some odd reason, I can't track down Tempest; he seems to have perished based on what I'm able to sense."** Hoopa told Ghetsis, as Ghetsis sighed as he motioned for Flare to move towards the side with his cane.

"Whatever, we'll deal with that matter as it comes; next, I desire a reinforced, special material forged from Infinite Energy; a metal so powerful that the very force of Mega Evolution itself could be seen sealed within it. A casing in which to create a produce more of this metal would be gladly appreciated." Ghetsis spoke of, as Hoopa's eyes glowed red as he summoned the manufacturing device before Ghetsis through another of its rings.

 **"Done. Now, then, for your last wish…?"** Hoopa asked, as its voiced seemed to slur a bit; it couldn't tell right now, but Ghetsis was utilizing his creepy, prosthetic arm from which he had stolen Arceus' power to manipulate Hoopa's mind for this next and final wish.

"Lastly, I require a Pokémon of my own choosing in the Poké Ball type of my own choosing; the rare, currently in-development Pokémon from Alola in its finished state, contained inside of a Luxury Ball; for my final wish, I ask for the Pokémon that can fight against and even kill deities! I ask for the Pokémon known as Type: Null to be added to my party of Pokémon!" Ghetsis spoke, as Hoopa's eyes glowed red as a third ring appeared and summoned forth this somewhat tall, chimeric, quadrupedal Pokémon with an armored head that Ghetsis referred to as Type: Null.

 **"Now then, your wishes have been granted, and now-"** Hoopa didn't even get a chance to finish its line; almost immediately, Ghetsis had ordered with a loud, powerful shout towards Type: Null; the Synthetic Pokémon panicked as to Ghetsis' haunting call, as Type: Null turned around to face Hoopa and jump up into the air, before unleashing a powerful, sharp slash at Hoopa while it was still here, as Hoopa's eyes widened upon the realization as to what had happened.

 **"W-W-Why…?"** Hoopa asked, as it had fallen into the ground as Hoopa couldn't even move with such a slash wound that had struck it from Ghetsis' Type: Null. As Ghetsis darkly chuckled, he walked over towards Hoopa and moved his prosthetic arm to grab as Hoopa's head, and then proceeding the tear off the ring-like jewel on Hoopa's forehead, as Ghetsis stomped his foot down onto Hoopa's fading away body.

"Because, Hoopa; you are no longer desired in this world of chaos…" Ghetsis told the Djinn Pokémon in a rather cold tone, before Ghetsis had struck Hoopa aside with his cane as Hoopa's slashed apart body had disintegrated as Hoopa could be faintly seen letting loose a few tears as to what had just happened.

After disintegrating entirely, Ghetsis looked towards the ring he had stolen from Hoopa's eroded corpse, before using his stolen power to shape it into the shape of an ordinary finger ring, as Ghetsis had placed it upon his prosthetic hand as he darkly chuckled as to the newfound power he had due to having stolen something from Arceus, and then having stolen something from Hoopa just after having slain the latter.

"Now, the second phase is complete; now begins the third phase." Ghetsis spoke in a low, growling tone as he looked over towards the silent, stoic Type: Null as returned Type: Null to its Poké Ball, before traversing through shadows into a room full of darkness with no obvious way out. As Colress was left alone with the now resting, corrupted Flare, he was quick to open up an anonymous message channel as he had typed rather calmly towards who he was texting.

[Delia, my old friend, we may possibly have a problem greater than we would have ever realized…]

**To Be Continued…**


	54. Chapter 53: Truth and Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> N has some unfinished business he wants to sort out with Ash.

The day was getting late; before it had gotten too late, though, Ash was flying out with Zekrom with Delia safely mounted onto the Legendary Pokémon's back, as they had neared the large, opened hole in the roof of the range of mountains of western Unova where Chargestone Cave lay in wait.

'Odd, I could've sworn I saw something flash by...' Delia had remarked, as they flew towards the area in question. Zekrom, steering itself to land inside the cave through the hole in the ceiling, Zekrom landed and stood to wait as Ash and Delia got off of its back, as Ash was surprised that the first thing they would come across would be Sirius' grave, despite how he had clearly remembered how it was located further into the cave than this.

"Well... Here it is, mom." Ash told Delia, as Delia looked over towards the small gravestone that Ash had originally came across when he had been through here before. Delia, looking towards the grave with intensified grief, was at a lose for words.

"S-Sirius...!" Delia eventually managed to speak up, before she was quick to break down crying as she was beginning to read her own note again, this time aloud.

_"To my beloved wife, who no woman alive could ever replace... to no woman a man would ever be happier to live alongside..._

_I'm not certain if you even still think of me in the same way as you had used to; I had seen you interacting with a blond male numerous times as days went by, but I did not interfere due to not wanting to interrupt what could've just been a conversation between a friend. I was wrong when I saw you with him one night, when I had finally managed to return home after a painful trip in the air with others like myself; I had seen you in the bedroom, in the middle of the night, with this blond man as I had decided to leave the house and question to myself; did you truly enjoy him more than I? Was I truly not deserving of your kindness? I knew something was off... I must've done something to make you unhappy, to where you'll probably not even notice I'm gone... All I want to truly say to you if I had ever managed to get the chance..._

_Is that I'm sorry, Delia Ketchum."_

The note ended there, from how Delia had stopped to continue to cry again; a hand covering her mouth as she feels incredible guilt over what her life with Colress was like, or the fact that it was ultimately her now that had led to Sirius dying in the first place to begin with. As Ash moved over to her to hug her, Delia could feel the embrace of not just Ash, but also the embrace of Ash's own Pokémon having joined in to comfort her.

"Thank you... All of you... For allowing myself to wake up..."

_**Back at Nuvema Town, several hours later...** _

It was late at night, and Cheren and Bianca were staying at home all the while Iris and Misty were asleep downstairs in Ash's house, the two having decided to share the couch. Delia was fast asleep in her own room, as well, as Ash himself was fast asleep in his own bedroom…

… Until he could faintly hearing a knocking on his window, as Ash slowly woke up to the bright blue of the moonlight shining into his bedroom… as well as a mysterious figure and their Pokémon standing just outside of his bedroom window.

As Ash had moved to get out of bed, dressed just in a black shirt and blue pants, all the while his hands still wore his father's own gloves. As Ash had gotten out of bed and looked out the window, his eyes widened awake as he noticed N, floating in the air with the assistance of a familiar, specter of a Pokémon.

"Dusknoir!" Ash exclaimed, as he moved to, hesitantly, open the window to leave room for N and Dusknoir to get on through and into his bedroom. As N quietly stepped into Ash's bedroom, he was quick to notice the various toys around Ash's room, as Dusknoir was quietly returned to a Poké Ball that N had with him.

"You have some very nice toys, Ash!" N exclaimed, as he had a look at the figures in Ash's collection, as he could make out figures of a Pikachu, Charizard, Lucario, Mewtwo, and two other, unknown Pokémon to N in the form of a pink fluff ball and a blue, Ninja-stance Frog of sorts.

"Those two are Jigglypuff and Greninja; those are specifically Amiibo figures I had bought for use with a video game I have on my Wii U console over by the LCD television." Ash explained to N, all the while N looked over towards Ash, practically gleaming in excitement much to Ash's confusion.

"But why are you here at this hour, N? Didn't you hate me after what had happened at Chargestone Cave?" Ash had asked N, as N shook his head.

"Hate you? Who I intend to befriend? Never. Why?" N answered, as Ash shrugged.

"Well you had abducted me from my friends just so that the two of us could be in a more or less isolated moment, and then we both fought, among other things that would happen next." Ash spoke, as he was hushed as N placed a hand on his shoulder, watching as N carefully looked him in the eyes.

"I can see it already; you made your realization as the Hero of Ideals and tamed Zekrom already, didn't you?" N spoke towards Ash, as Ash nodded.

"That still doesn't answer my question; why are you here, N?" Ash had asked N, all the while N sighed.

"I had learned of your condition about a night after you were saved by your friends, Ash… How I knew you probably wouldn't survive… This is why I had talked to my friend, Dusknoir, in hopes that you could somehow be saved from death. Only few people have truly earned such a fate, Ash, and you are most certainly not one of them." N explained to Ash, as Ash's eyes widened.

"Y-You… You saved my life back then?" Ash asked him, as N had nodded.

"Yes… Yes I did… I couldn't bear to see what would happen to your friends or even myself knowing that you would've died otherwise, or the fact that-" N was cut off before he could properly finish. Ash was quick to embrace N in his grasp, resting his head on his left shoulder as a few tears moved down his face, all the while N's expression was shocked and confused as to Ash's current behavior.

"T-Thank you, N… That means a whole lot to my friends and I…" Ash spoke towards N as he stuttered a bit; all of this time he had grown to slowly form a small hatred towards N, even after having selflessly chosen to save N from an attacking Geneshine for whatever hostilities they had in hopes N would see the truth, and even when he did not know how N would think, N truly did repay the favor in a way Ash could only dream of truly repaying back.

As N realized, slowly, as to the context as to why Ash was hugging onto him at the moment, N's eyes softened before closing, as N moved to rest his head on Ash's left shoulder as well, holding Ash close as a small tear formed out of his eye.

"I was so worried about you since that day, Ash… especially even more worried now that I know something horrible is beginning to happen with Team Plasma…" N spoke to Ash, as both of them moved away from each other to look each other in the eye.

"Team Plasma had become corrupt while I was absent from the grunts and other colleagues; something had gone wrong, and when I had returned to issue orders to some of those I had worked with, they had appeared before me possessed and enraged; Poké Balls drawn out as they sent equally hostile Pokémon before me, they had tried to kill me on the spot… especially once Geneshine and its cohorts arrived on the scene and made my escape from the scene only barely successful…" N began to explain, as he could only fearfully recall that terrifying incident.

_As N was looking towards what appeared to be Ghetsis' corpse in the base of Team Plasma beneath the ground, Geneshine looked towards the poor man as it laughed sadistically all the while glowing with power._

_**{Ding dong, the old man died! And so will you if you stay around any longer!}** _ _Geneshine cackled, as itself and several Pokémon that were corrupted by some outside influence had begun to fire attacks upon N in varying degrees of power, as N watched rather fearfully._

" _Everyone! Snap out of it! Don't listen to him!" N told everyone he had once known and trusted… all the while the presence of a black robed, doppelganger of Ghetsis could be seen entering the scene with his newly repaired cane._

" _Oh, is that your father before you over there…? I wondered how long it would've been for you to return and realize he had been dead for years, you bastard of a runt…" Ghetsis spoke, all the while behind stood two girls who had been forcefully restrained by two Genesect Drones, which looked much more advanced in appearance than even Geneshine currently did._

" _You! Whoever you are…What did you do to father?!" N asked of the doppelganger of Ghetsis, all the while Ghetsis had darkly chuckled._

" _He was the imposter; a fool who could never live up the name of Harmonia! You and him both share that in common with each other; both runts at the end of the litter from where you were born, and how you turned to be; your so called corpse of a father before you had been dead for 15 years now, N; I was hoping you'd realize that; to see the Truth of the fact you are no longer a necessity in my plan!" Ghetsis had told N, all the while N was horrified._

" _N-No! You're lying! You couldn't possibly be him as well!" N yelled towards Ghetsis, all the while Ghetsis brought out a knife as he had pointed it towards the head of the one girl, having blonde hair, as the two Genesect Drones restraining them aimed their cannons directly behind their heads._

" _Would I, now? How much are you willing to try and stay knowing your own sisters are at risk with your mere life still being among us?" Ghetsis spoke as he had looked over towards Geneshine as he slammed his cane down._

" _Geneshine! Kill N, immediately!" Ghetsis had called, as Geneshine had moved to rush N only to be met with a blinding, white light from N's pocket as the Light Stone had emerged from within it to interfere with its own truth._

_As the Light Stone became engulfed in a white, powerful sphere of energy from within its core, emerging from the sphere were two large, white wings with small hands and covered in feathers, as it propelled feathers of infernal fire outwards towards the attacking Pokémon and Geneshine. Finishing emerging from the sphere as large, powerful feet with boot-like talons manifested, just as the torch-like tail emerged from behind as from the front emerged the towering, mammalian, white maned head of the Dragon of Truth; Reshiram._

" _ **You have finally sought out the truth, N; whether you like what you see or not, you now finally know the truth behind your actions with this entire organization. Open your eyes, young Hero of Truth, so can make our escape!"**_ _Reshiram spoke towards N loud and clear, all the while Ghetsis was furious as to what he was seeing before him._

" _I'd like to see you try!" Ghetsis spoke, as he had let loose his ungodly howl towards the other room, as smashing down a wall was none other than Type: Null who had taken sight of Reshiram near instantly and set its own sights on it to kill. However, Reshiram responded much faster than Type: Null could manage, as Reshiram fired a powerful, blue blast of fire towards Type: Null to damage it as much as it could, as well as blinding everyone else's sights from the intense explosion._

_Just as Ghetsis could see again, though, N and Reshiram had vanished from his gaze as he looked over towards the two young girls being held by the Genesect Drones, all the while growling with annoyance._

" _Imprison the two goddesses somewhere; we can use their continued lives as hostages for our plans." Ghetsis spoke towards everyone, as the Genesect Drones withdrew their cannons as they escorted the two of them out of the room, all the while Geneshine looked over towards Ghetsis._

_**{What's the plan Big G? Want me to go after them?}** _ _Geneshine asked, as Ghetsis shook his head._

" _No, actually; hunt down the remaining unique Genesect and bring me their spare scrap metal; you have yet to achieve your perfected state for real, Geneshine…"_

"… When I had woken up on Reshiram's back, I'm not certain as to how I heard what had happened next, but perhaps… perhaps my ability to see the truth of the whole situation now allowed for me to learn of what had almost happened to me, or to my sisters when we had returned not even a few hours ago…" N finished explaining to Ash, all the while Ash's gaze looked horrified as to what N had to go through.

"N… You're not going to be safe traveling alone from now on, you know that, right?" Ash told N, as N nodded.

"Indeed… That is why I had come here, Ash… Because I wanted to ask you something now that you know why I am here after what had happened…" N began to ask, as he looked over towards Ash.

"Will you let me travel by you and your friends' side, Ash?" N had asked Ash, as Ash took a while before finally responding.

"… Yes, but my friends are going to need some time to let that sink in once they wake up in the morning…" Ash answered to N, as N sighed in relief, before the Poké Balls that both of them had which contained Zekrom and Reshiram respectively began to growl.

" **Well, this is a twist."** Zekrom spoke up.

" **Admit it, blacky, you saw this coming a mile away."** Reshiram spoke up towards Zekrom.

" **Can we still fight to test our strength?"**

"Son of a- YES!" Ash and N answered to both of their Dragon Pokémon, as the two of them had moved to jump out of the bedroom window and straight outside, before Ash sent out Zekrom and landed onto its back, flying off into the air as N called upon Reshiram, landing on is back as he flew up with it towards Ash. Instead of actually fighting, though, Zekrom had simply decided to fly through the air at immense speeds out towards the ocean, as Reshiram had activated the engine-like flame in its tail to catch up to Zekrom's immense speed.

"I thought you two said you wanted to fight!" Ash asked Zekrom as he laughed a bit.

" **We said test our strength, Ash! That didn't mean we'd fight like that yet!"** Zekrom roared as it had flown through the night sky as, before suddenly activating the turbine in its tail as it jettisoned itself upwards into the air to breach through the clouds, all the while N and Reshiram followed behind.

"Now this is much more like how I would've preferred things in the end!" N spoke up towards Ash as Ash laughed.

"Yeah, it looks like we'll both be getting what we desire in the future out of this!" Ash spoke towards N, as Zekrom breached through the clouds as now it and Ash were soaring in the sky above the clouds, allowing Ash to see the starry sky all its glorying, as N rose up to fly alongside Ash with Reshiram and Zekrom now flying at more or less the same speed as Reshiram.

As both Ash and N looked up into the sky and saw the shining moon and the various stars in the sky as well, both of them were quickly amazed by the sight alone; it was further amplified when their flight path had coincided with the Legendary Lunala, as the large, celestial, bat-like Moone Legendary Pokémon flew just above Zekrom and Reshiram.

As Lunala gave a sharp, greeting cry towards Ash and N, it flew up ahead of the duo and flew up higher and higher into the sky until it disappeared with a gleam of a shine, which only made the very stars and moon shine even brighter before the Heroes of Truth and Ideals.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Ash asked towards N, as N silently nodded.

"Yes… Yes it is, Ash…" N spoke, as he moved to rest on Reshiram's back, with Ash moving to lay on Zekrom's back in response, as the two of them were on their backs and looking up into the sky.

"Say, Ash…?"

"Yes, N?"

"I'm sorry for what I had done wrong before now…"

"It's okay, N… I can forgive you…"

"Do you think the others will take a liking to me?" N asked Ash. Ash remained quiet for the moment as he tried to think of how to respond…

"… I'm sure after they hear everything out, I'm certain they will…"

As Zekrom and Reshiram looked towards each other, both of them moved lower towards the ground, as the two turned to make a landing just outside of Ash's house. As Ash jumped back into his window, with N following behind, N yawned a bit as he had looked around.

"… You can take my bed if you feel tired, N; I'll just go sleep downstairs in that case." Ash spoke up, as N looked over towards Ash with a happy, serene glance as he nodded.

"Alright, just stay safe." N said, as he moved towards Ash's bed, as Ash moved to leave the room and head downstairs. As he walked over towards the couch with Iris and Misty already asleep and snuggled up towards each other, Ash moved to, carefully, bring an additional blanket and move himself to lay beside them.

"… H-Huh…?" Iris murmured in her sleep, as Misty groggily noticed Ash joining them, all the while the two girls had made room for him between them, before snuggling up to him cheerfully but still tiredly.

"Hey…" Ash spoke up, quietly, as Iris looked towards Ash, confused, as did Misty.

"What happened? Did something happen in your sleep, Ash?" Iris asked, as Misty grasped a hold of Ash's hand to reassure him, as Ash chuckled lightly.

"I'll explain in the morning, just promise me you won't freak out about him, alright?" Ash asked of the two of them, as Iris and Misty didn't quite notice the full context of what Ash had meant, before the two of them nodded and fell back asleep next to Ash, as Ash himself allowed himself to fall asleep again…

As N lay in Ash's bed upstairs, he was quietly thinking to himself about what all was to happen now that things have definitely changed…

"Zoroark… If only you were here to see how I've changed…" N spoke, as N was taken by surprise when a figure had entered through the window, as N looked towards the figure and noticed the disguised, human form of none other than his own Zoroark.

"It's about damn time, N…" Zoroark said as he transformed back into his true form towards N, as the two affectionately hugged as Zoroark moved to force himself onto the small bed from which N was sleeping on, not that N would complain. While this was happening, Zekrom and Reshiram remained outside as they had both looked at each other.

" **Do you think that since we won't be fighting each other, do you think it may be possible that Va-"**

" **No, Zekrom, I do not; the ability for us to become our original selves had long since past behind us. We can only just adapt to our current, permanently separated selves and move on from there; however the future deems it for us…"** Reshiram told Zekrom, as Zekrom let out a heavy sigh.

" **Still…"** Zekrom began as he looked up towards the night sky; vaguely seeing the humanoid, tailed form of Mewtwo flying pasted the moon.

" **This will be a lot for everyone to take in as it is…"**

**To Be Continued…**


	55. Chapter 54: Where No one Goes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As N is introduced as an ally and friend towards Ash's friends, Cheren still has some unfinished business towards a certain Pokémon who shows its ugly hide towards him...

The morning was calm, tranquil, as everyone was, for the most start, just beginning to awaken. N was slowly feeling himself wake up as he looked at his surroundings; still the unfamiliarity of Ash's bedroom, meaning the pleasant night he had last night wasn't a dream after all, he thought. What caught H's attention, though, was the sweet, flavorful smell of something cooking downstairs.

"Hmm?" N murmured as he slowly moved awake, as he hadn't even changed clothing when he had fallen asleep on Ash's bed. Getting up and looking around the room, N took the moment to get himself familiar with Ash's household, as he opened the door and began to walk downstairs to see what was going on and what that smell was.

It turns out, obviously enough, that Ash was cooking breakfast for everyone again; Raichu was already hungrily eating sweet, fluffy, and buttery pancakes as several plates full of them were already prepared in advance for Raichu. N smiled as he looked over towards the happily eating Raichu, but nearly flinched and panicked when he saw Altair turn his way.

"Huh?! N?!" Altair exclaimed, all the while Iris and Misty immediately woke up on the couch and looked over towards where N was standing, Iris and Misty looking towards N not with anger, but rather, surprise; true, they had a reason to be angry towards him, but they questioned how he had even gotten into the house as to why they weren't so far.

"Yes… Yes it's me, Regulus." N said, as Altair stuttered a bit as he stood there and watched as N walked past him, still sleepily at that, as Altair was completely baffled by what name N had used for him.

"… R-Regulus…?" Altair asked as he was completely confused as to why N would mistake him for his own dad. "N, hold on, I'm not Regulus; I'm Altair!" Altair spoke up as he looked towards N as he noticed how calmed down he was all of a sudden. With Altair's eyes briefly glowing gold and closing as he scanned the auras of everyone in sight, everyone in the direct vicinity had a blue aura, as Altair calmed his nerves upon realizing that.

Ash, busy cooking breakfast for everyone, was just finishing up cooking for everyone in the household. As Ash noticed Misty and Iris approaching him quietly without even having to look at them, Ash asked, "Something wrong?"

"Well… er… not quite… but why is N here?" Iris asked.

[Same.] Misty texted.

"It's complicated to begin to explain, so how's about we wait to discuss it until after breakfast, okay?" Ash answered.

As Samurott was resting the living room, Zoroark, disguised in his human form even though practically nobody was buying it at the moment, looked towards his self-proclaimed rival with interest.

"He's certainly grown far stronger than I expected… Is he possibly related to that one Samurott I had known from when I was so young over a century ago?" Zoroark remarked, mostly to himself as he questioned about Ash's Samurott's origins.

That was when Delia had a walk out of her bedroom to look around.

"Good morning Ash, Misty, Iris, and- Oh… Oh dear… Who might you be?" Delia was greeting before taking notice of N in the room, all the while N stuttered a bit.

"N-N… The name's N." N said with a faint blush, mostly from embarrassment, all the while Delia chuckled a bit.

"So you're the mysterious 'Hero of Truth' I've been hearing about, huh? I was personally expecting someone older."

"NOT IN THE MOOD, MOM!" Ash yelled out as his aura had flared up only to be calmed down immediately when Misty and Iris both pecked each of Ash's cheeks on time for him to calm.

"Then… Who is he, Ash?" Delia asked, as Ash remained calm once he had finished cooking breakfast for everyone, serving everyone else first, as well as giving his ever hungry Raichu another serving of pancakes, as he waited until everyone else was eating first before he himself would begin to eat afterwards.

Once they were done eating, Ash had filled Delia, Misty, and Iris on the situation regarding what N had been doing up until this point, and why he was here now. Cheren and Bianca had come on over by this point, and had listened to Ash's explanation as well. While Cheren still had some small anger towards N in him, Bianca was at the very least accepting of N's presence here.

"As much as I hate to admit it… But if you believe N's no longer up to anything bad, then I'll be fine with him being with us…" Cheren answered.

"As well I." Bianca said, rather simply.

"Same for the two of us as we had already mentioned." Iris answered for both herself and Misty. Ash, meanwhile, couldn't help but notice something with Bianca and Cheren.

"Uh, guys… I'm confused; did Bianca steal Cheren's glasses for herself?" Ash had asked, as Cheren immediately went red from embarrassment as Bianca giggled.

"My eyes were becoming a problem more than they were beforehand, so I had to get glasses and I had asked if I could get the frames identical to Cheren's old ones." Bianca said, as Cheren was still flustered.

"A-And I… er… gave her my old frames as I ended up getting laser surgery on my eyes." Cheren pointed out, as Ash nodded.

"I see…" Ash mentioned, as he noticed how N was mostly standing by the large window and counter in the living room. He noticed how N seemed rather lost and distant from the others, as if he had no clue as to how to act normal around everyone.

"Hey, N, it's alright if you come over here with us and have a seat." Delia spoke over towards N, as N looked over towards her as he mostly stayed put.

"I'm fine; it's just I'm watching Samurott and Zoroark fight since apparently Zoroark had made some form of promise with Samurott." N said, as he looked back out the window to see how it was progressing…

Samurott was on one side of the field, as Zoroark was on the other side. As Zoroark jumped into the air and created numerous illusions of himself as he had navigated the terrain, Samurott was quick to fire Ice Beam in repetition towards the numerous doppelgangers, before Zoroark suddenly rushed in from behind and slammed Samurott hard with his huge mane, as if it had functioned like a tail.

"Not bad after your intense training, youngster." Zoroark spoke, as he had transformed back into his human form as he watched as Samurott still tried to rush him with his seamitars, as Zoroark used his hands and gestured them in specific ways to deflect each of the individual strikes. As Samurott was beginning to tire out, he fired an Ice Beam directly in Zoroark's face and seemingly froze him solid.

Zoroark, as cunning as he'd ever be, had simply tricked Samurott with an illusion, and was moving in from behind to attack, his claws glowing a fierce black and red…

… Just as Samurott proceeds to give a literal sucker punch to Zoroark by jabbing him in the side with the blunt edge of his seamitars. As Zoroark was caught heavily off guard, he moved to stand as he was practically dazed from the attack.

"N-Not bad… You're stronger now than I thought you would be by this point…" Zoroark spoke, as he chuckled a bit as he retook his human form again, all the while Samurott sheathed his seamitars and gave a bit of a smug smirk towards Zoroark.

"Don't get cocky with me; you've still got a long life ahead of you to further train yourself." Zoroark had mentioned, as both he and Samurott moved to walk back towards the house.

"So… N… Now that you're no longer affiliating yourself with Team Plasma… What are you intending on doing now?" Cheren asked N, as N looked rather confused as his expression was rather calm and collected, but otherwise uncertain.

"I don't know… All I do know is that they'll probably be out to get both Ash and I in one way or another…" N spoke up, as Cheren sighed.

"I figured as much…" Cheren said as he moved to stand and walk towards the doorway, moving to walk outside to get some air. N blinked, as Ash was confused.

"Where are you going, Cheren?" Ash asked, as Cheren looked over towards him and the others and sighed.

"I… I'm going to need to get some air for a while… Okay?" Cheren said, as Ash and the others nodded.

"Take your time, Cheren…" Ash told him, as Cheren nodded and began to walk outside into the cold, taking his time to walk out towards the coastal part of the town.

As Cheren was walking by himself, he was quiet as he thought about the entire situation so far; N was now going to be traveling with them, and now he didn't know whether or not it would be a good or bad thing. Cheren stayed calm as he had casually walked towards the coast, sighing a bit heavily as he brought out a Poké Ball, before calling upon and sending out Serperior from her Poké Ball.

Serperior only gave a calm, quiet hiss towards Cheren, as Cheren sighed as he looked around.

"I… I just feel so weak at times, you know?" Cheren spoke towards Serperior. He had silently wished he had the ability to understand her like how N did.

"I'm not sure whether or not anyone else had noticed it or not… but every time I shown myself in the battlefield, I was often the first to make the wrong move in battle; the first whose Pokémon weren't all that strong compared to the others…" Cheren said, as he looked towards Serperior.

"You have a form like the other two that I'm not aware of yet, don't you? I mean… Iris has a Mega Latias, as Misty is beyond my caliber with her Primal Kyogre... so even with Virizion on my team, why do I feel so weak compared to everyone else?" Cheren asked.

 **{Well… what do we have here?}** The voice of one of the Genesect could be heard breaking the silence, as it landed on the ground in front of Serperior with a loud thud, as the cyan cartridge on its back made it clear which one this was.

As Serperior attempted to attack with a barrage of leaves heading Geneglacia's way, but the Paleozoic Pokémon was quick to jump backwards through the air, before aiming itself to face lower as a shot infused with ice energy fired upon the area where Serperior was.

Serperior was quick to dodge with her immense factor in speed, all the while Cheren's heartsoul energies boosted to power up Serperior with, all the while Geneglacia kept moving to dodge Serperior's various attacks, as Geneglacia constantly glassed the battlefield with Techno Blast, scoring immense damage against Serperior as she eventually lay in the snow unconscious, all the while Cheren had nearly fallen over trying to continue his drive further.

As this was taking place, he looked on in horror as he realized his own words were being put to the test, as Serperior was slowly trying to budge as Geneglacia marched forward towards her.

 **{It's too late for you now, Serperior… Just give up; that's what the boy's sister did.}** Geneglacia muttered towards Serperior, as the tenseness of the movement caused Cheren to go cold all of a sudden with those words.

"What… What?" Cheren asked.

 **{Oh? You didn't know of that? I could've sworn you were on the scene in my failed attempt to learn poison jab at this very spot all those years ago.}** Geneglacia suddenly stopped to just casually tell that to Cheren, all the while Cheren's gaze was becoming more serious as his anger was increasing.

"… What?!" Cheren questioned again, noticing this particular Genesect's stupidity as his heartsoul energies began to skyrocket in strength.

 **{Oh, right, silly me; I killed some poor kid's younger sister while I was attempting to search for another kid who I was told to kill ages ago. I dunno, I feel like I'm forgetting something…}** Geneglacia spoke as Cheren was shuddering with anger now, as he had recalled the memory of his younger sister who had perished in this very town due to something poisoning her.

"WHAT?!" Cheren shouted at Geneglacia, all the while his heartsoul energy exploded into a flurry of energy particles around himself, as Serperior's strength increased as she slowly moved to stand.

**{Yeah that's right, wasn't that you who was her brother? That was freaking weird.}**

"THAT'S IT, SO NOT FEELING UP TO IT RIGHT NOW!" Cheren said as the ground before him shattered as his heartsoul energy had amplified in intensity, revealing leaves and blades of grass that had begun to emerge from the snow as a flurry of leaves and blades of grasses spiraled up into the air around Serperior, before she became encased in a greenish glow before emerging again as a teal and purple, more frilly and oddly colored transformed state, as Serperior emerged from the cloud of leaves as what would be obviously known as Warlord-Serperior.

**{… Say what now?}**

"SUNNY DAY!" Cheren ordered, as Warlord-Serperior raised her head up into the sky, as the sun began to shine downwards onto her, all the while Geneglacia panicked and went back to trying to blast Warlord-Serperior with Techno Blast, as the icy shots hit Warlord-Serperior only for the shots to melt upon contact.

**{WHAT THE?!}**

"Now, Warlord-Serperior! Eternal Light!" Cheren called, as from the more frill covered head of Serperior, a bright, intense sphere of light charged and encased her head, as she took aimed towards Geneglacia and fired an immensely large, powerful beam of fiery, explosive energy out towards Geneglacia.

 **{OH YOU MO-}** Geneglacia tried to say as it didn't even consider the idea of dodging the attack and ended up taking the full brunt of the attack, becoming engulfed by the fired blast of energy as the beam of energy continued further and expanded from firing point, all as the beam was so large and bright that it had appeared almost all across a good portion of this particular side of the planet.

… All the while Solgaleo was standing on a rocky crag towards the look of the blast from Warlord-Serperior, scanning the power from the attack with its visor-like eyes, as Solgaleo determined what course of action to take.

Eventually roaring up into the heavens, its roar echoed across the sky as Solgaleo took off and made a charge along the rocky plains it was located at, running off towards whatever destination it had in mind…

… As the attack calmed down in intensity to the point of stopping, Warlord-Serperior looked ahead of herself as she noticed how Geneglacia was more or less, from what she and Cheren could tell, completely and utterly vaporized from the full force of the attack.

"W-Wow…" Cheren muttered as the amount of heartsoul energy he was utilizing at that moment had caused both himself and Warlord-Serperior to pass out, the latter returning to her normal form as Bianca was on the scene and grabbed hold of Cheren as he was about to hit the snow, moving to carefully and quietly lift him up and carry him back home, all the while Emboar grabbed the weakened Serperior and carefully carried her back with them as well.

As Geneshine was watching the entire incident from afar, Geneshine scouted the range of the beam attack up ahead to try and search for something.

{PRICK! Damned fool caused Geneglacia's power core to get knocked immensely out of range!} Geneshine muttered in frustration as he looked up ahead towards the area of affect, before transforming back into its aerial mode and flying off into the distance to investigate what exactly had happened.

A few days would pass as the group was resting in Nuvema Town; now that resting was over, the group was preparing for takeoff, with Misty and Iris mounted on Mega Latias, Cheren and Bianca mounted on their Braviary, as N and Ash were astride Reshiram and Zekrom respectively.

"Stay safe now you guys!" Delia called to them as she waved.

"Don't do anything reckless while you're away!" Don, Felix, and both of their wives said in unison.

"Don't let Drayden's attitude get to you next time, alright?" Burgh called towards the group as he had waved. After goodbyes were done, Braviary took off into the air first, followed by Mega Latias, and then Zekrom and Reshiram took off last as the avian and three Dragon Pokémon flew across the sky as the group was headed back towards Mistralton City.

"So do you think N will be alright with actually handling how we behave?" Cheren called towards Ash, as Ash nodded.

"If he's endured everything so far, I'm pretty certain absolutely nothing will faze him next." Ash reassured Cheren, as N remained quiet still.

' _I just sincerely hope I can save my sisters; I just sincerely hope they're alright…'_ N had thought, as all four flight capable Pokémon flew across the vast expanse of water and back towards the mainland Unova, with the Mistralton City Gym being the Nuvema Trio's next overall goal.

**To Be Continued…**


	56. Chapter 55: Return to Mistralton City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the gang returns to Mistralton City, Bianca is taken to the side by Juniper and is asked about her future, just as Ash and Cheren prepare for their challenge against Skyla as N begins to try and adapt towards his new life among Ash's friends.

After the gang had arrived back in Mistralton City, they were greeted by a new face as a familiar one was approaching them.

"Oh, hello everyone! I was wondering where you three had gone!" Juniper had greeted as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca had freaked out.

"I can't believe we had somehow forgotten about meeting you back at Nuvema Town…" Ash had spoken up, as Cheren and Bianca nodded.

"We apologize for that, Juniper." Cheren and Bianca both said, as the mysterious man beside Juniper made his presence clear with a cough, as now both Misty and Iris looked spooked all of a sudden.

"Now then, if that's all sorted out of the way… Why is he here?" Drayden asked towards N, specifically noticing his Reshiram as N was confused as to what Drayden had meant.

"He's with us." The other five all said at once, as Drayden's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked towards N warily. N, for the moment, simply became a little nervous and chuckled lightly as he had tried to maintain a cheery expression.

"Well then, splendid. So how were the five first gyms for you so far, Ash, Cheren, and Bianca?" Drayden spoke up, as Iris walked over towards Drayden with a bit of an angered pout as she moved up towards the taller, older man while looking up at him. Drayden simply looked back down towards her, asking, "Yes?"

"… You're the worst." Iris mumbled, still not happy over what Drayden did regarding Clay's battle with Ash… and how Drayden was too tall for her to move and slap him in the face. Walking back over towards Ash and Misty, Drayden watched her as he sighed.

"I should've known you would catch on about that, Iris… But now that Ash has acquired the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom, I feel it would be best or at least fair, that the remaining challenges Ash would face would be Full Battles so long as he has the Pokémon for them." Drayden explained to the group, as Ash nodded in understanding.

"So after I face Skyla, and then possibly Brycen if he hasn't retired yet, then I'll be going to face you next?" Ash asked Drayden, all the while Drayden chuckled as Iris let out a more quieter, nervous chuckle as well.

"Well as for Brycen you're in luck; you three will be among his last opponents before his retirement, but as for who you'll face last for the Legend Badge; that one is a surprise for when you arrive in Opelucid City." Drayden finished, before moving to leave as he called out a Poké Ball and showed that he now had possession of Latios in his control.

"To be honest, I'm not certain as to how Latios wound up to find me this morning, but it was good to know that he's safe after the incident I had heard from Elesa that had occurred." Drayden said as he mounted onto Latios' back, before looking over towards Juniper. "You may speak with them now, Juniper; I'll be expecting to see them again once they arrive in Opelucid City." Drayden said as he gave a salute as a farewell, before riding Latios into the air and disappearing over the horizon.

"So, how has progress come along for the Pokédex?" Juniper asked, as Bianca spoke up first.

"I've actually been doing my best to complete the Pokédex on my end." Bianca said, as she looked towards Ash and Cheren. "Though Ash and Cheren seem to focus more on battles than they do the Pokédex, and I'm not sure what N is going to be doing now that he's traveling with us." Bianca finished, as Ash and Cheren both blushed a bit in embarrassment as N looked towards the group with confusion as to how to respond.

' _I need to figure out how I'm going to be talking with these guys if I'm going to be with them… I mean, even if…'_

' _ **Even if you believe Pokémon should not need humans? Didn't all of last night prove that this belief of yours was nothing more than a lie crafted by Ghetsis?'**_ Reshiram spoke into N's mind as N looked towards its Poké Ball, before sighing a bit silently.

'… _I'm just so lost now, Reshiram… Everything I had once known; it was all just a lie from the actual truth, and now I'm spending years ever since I was born trying to adapt to the truth…'_ N thought as he tried to "speak" with Reshiram.

' _ **True, but perhaps you need to indulge on their own experiences to truly learn the truth…'**_ Reshiram finished, as N looked over to watch as Juniper was scanning the Pokédexes owned by Ash, Cheren, and Bianca.

"Wow, Bianca wasn't kidding; she has the highest recorded data on her Pokédex." Juniper mentioned, as Bianca blushed shyly.

"Aww, just give Ash and Cheren some credit as well please~!" Bianca spoke, as Juniper took hold of Bianca's hand.

"… May I have a word with you in private, please?" Juniper had asked, her tone more serious than it usually is but still her usual, joyful self. Bianca, confused as to what Juniper means, nodded as she allowed herself to be escorted into the Pokémon Center as Cheren looked towards Ash and the others.

"Right, then… Now that we're back in Mistralton City, Ash and I are going to check in with Skyla." Cheren told Misty, Iris, and N, as N looked towards Ash and Cheren.

"Mind if I come with you two?" N asked, as Ash and Cheren looked at each other and shrugged.

"Eh, I don't see why not; though you do already have all of the badges you need for the league already still, so I don't see a reason for you to challenge her." Ash said to N, as N nodded, before walking off with Ash and Cheren towards an airport as Ash and Cheren could both see on the nearby signs that the gym was right next to it.

Misty and Iris, meanwhile, looked towards themselves as they noticed Giselle and "The Kid" walk out of the Pokémon Center, as the two unwittingly ended up listening in to the latter two as they walked by.

"So do you think your parents will approve even though they're old fashioned?" Giselle asked, as The Kid shrugged.

"They'll more than likely approve; sure, they'd probably rather me end up with a man, but I'm certain they'll approve of you." The Kid spoke, as he wasn't speaking in his usual tone; in fact, based off of what Iris and Misty were hearing, he sounded like a she with that tone she was speaking in. Very gruff and more man-like, sure, but the more feminine touches in his tone could be more easily heard.

Iris and Misty, though, decided to just ignore the two as they went on their way; they felt like they had stayed around and observed too much from that conversation as it is, so they didn't want to disturb the two…

"Hey, Misty, Iris, could I have a word with you two?" The Kid spoke, his voice sounding back to "normal" again, as he had called for the two of them. Both gym leaders nearly froze in place, before walking over towards The Kid and Giselle to listen.

"Could you give a message to Ash for me?" The Kid asked, as he handed Misty and Iris a letter which was labeled as an invitation of sorts.

"So what do you want Ash for?" Iris asked, confused as to why the invitation was clearly for the biggest holiday of the end of the year; but it was confusing as to why The Kid felt like inviting Ash to his home for it.

"Actually, it isn't just for Ash; it's for all of you guys; I just asked for you to give it to Ash since he seems to be the leader of your group is all." The Kid stated, as Iris and Misty both nodded in understanding.

"Gotcha. So you're sure you'll be fine with us joining along?" Iris asked, as The Kid shrugged again.

"Don't worry too much about it, just take into note that my parents are older than most parents you'd see around in most young trainer's families." The Kid spoke, before turning to leave, as Giselle looked towards Misty and Iris.

"By the way, can you tell Ash that Petilil is doing fine now as a Lilligant? She's really enjoying herself even if she doesn't battle much." Giselle added in, before walking over and waving to the duo before leaving with her boyfriend.

_**In the Pokémon Center…** _

"Bianca, I'm not normally one to ask about this sort of thing myself; normally my parents do that for me… but… I'm getting old and aged in my job as a professor, and my parents even more so…" Juniper was explaining to Bianca, as Bianca listened all the while keeping warm in her orange jacket.

"I understand, Juniper; it isn't easy to ask for an assistant for your job type, I know. I've seen enough of the various kinds of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon so far to already know it'll be a dangerous job for me at my age." Bianca answered to Juniper, as Juniper sighed.

"Trust me when I say this, Bianca; I'm perfectly willing to offer a good amount of payment for you assisting me in my research as a Pokémon Professor, but I'm just concerned that I'll get in the way of your Pokémon Journey if you take on the job too soon… Plus, I'd rather wait until you turn 18 until I allow you to accept the job." Juniper began to finished, before looking at Bianca more seriously to see how she'd answer.

"Juniper, I envy you more than the gym leaders of Unova; I've always loved to just go outside and explore around, but when I was younger I was restricted to just Nuvema Town. I could personally care less about trying to earn gym badges to compete in the Pokémon League; I'm more concerned overall about enjoying myself, as well as the adventure of a journey and not the mere victories that come with it." Bianca began to say.

"That is why I'd be happy to take up your offer for a job as your assistant once I turn 18 in two years from now." Bianca finished, as Juniper sighed and smiled a bit.

"You've grown up since I last saw you, Bianca; I'm glad for your passion towards how you would prefer to adventure, and I'm so far excited about your accomplishments in life so far; you're already blossoming into a fully grown woman at this point." Juniper complimented as Bianca blushed.

"Well, truth be told, Juniper, my drive for stuff like that only kicks in every once in a while and-" Bianca began, as Juniper blushed a bright red.

"Oh! OH! I didn't mean it in such a way, Bianca! P-Please calm down and slow down with what you say!" Juniper asked of Bianca as she panicked; she had no idea Bianca had such a relationship with someone, especially Cheren from what she had previously known about him, so now she tried to calm her own nerves as Bianca had taken her by surprise.

"O-Oh, sorry… I took that the wrong way, didn't I?" Bianca asked, as Juniper sighed a bit.

"… Regardless, Bianca. I'm hoping you'll be happy with your decision to become my assistant in two years' time." Juniper said as she had calmed, as Bianca quietly removed her glasses to wipe them clean, listening as Nurse Joy walked over towards them.

"Is everything all going well so far?" She had asked towards Juniper, as Juniper nodded.

"Yes; in fact, I have something I'll need your assistance to show Bianca once we're finished here." Juniper told Nurse Joy, as the pink haired nurse moved to walk off to attend to other things, all the while Bianca quietly moved to put her glasses back on as she had looked at Juniper.

"… So… What would you require from me in terms of basic or complicated credentials?" Bianca asked of Juniper regarding her own future job, as both she and Juniper resumed their talk with each other.

_**At the Mistralton Gym Entrance…** _

As Ash, Cheren, and N walked towards the front door, Cheren was groaning a bit as he was walking with the two here.

"Just be careful you two; if I had learned anything from Nimbasa City with Elesa, than Skyla is even more to get easy to get embarrassed by." Cheren warned Ash and N, as Ash moved to open the door, all the while N's gaze was fixated onto someone inside approaching.

"Come on, Cheren, how bad can she be?" Ash asked, as a yelp could be heard as an older woman, dressed in a rather skimpy attire and looking well endowed, ended up falling and tripping onto N, groggily moving to try and move herself to get back up.

As N helped her up, he grabbed a hold of a sensitive part of the woman's chest as if it was no big deal as he moved to help her stand back up.

"Are you alright, Skyla?" N had asked, as Skyla had blanked when she had felt N was groping her still, all the while Ash and Cheren face palmed as they had watched what was happening.

As Skyla pushed N away in a peaceful manner, she breathed a bit heavily as she was flustered from his action.

"Um… Uh… Er…" Skyla stuttered as she tried to introduce herself.

"He's a bit naïve towards how humans properly behave, I'm afraid." Ash told Skyla as Skyla looked towards Ash and gasped a bit in surprise.

"Oh my! You're Ms. Shudo's nephew, aren't you? I remember that hair anywhere from those pictures and- OH MY where'd you get those scars from?!" Skyla had asked, as Ash nervously chuckled.

"Trust me, I'd rather not get into that last bit… But yes, I am Ms. Shudo's nephew." Ash responded, as Skyla sighed as she relaxed.

"My apologies for that little freak out, you three… I wasn't expecting N to be here again after he had already earned his badge from me." Skyla spoke as N chuckled lightly.

"I'm not here to battle; I'm just traveling with Ash and his friends now, that's all…" N nervously said; he didn't have an actual response to Ash's one comment, but he knew right now that it wouldn't be wise to speak up about it now.

"So, you and your friend will be registering for a battle, yes?" Skyla asked Ash and Cheren, as the two of them nodded.

"Yes. We're also registering someone else as well; her name's Bianca, and she'll be joining us for the gym battle challenges here." Cheren answered, as Ash nodded.

"So will we be able to get all three challenges done today or would one of us have to wait until tomorrow?" Ash asked, as Skyla shook her head.

"All three of you are perfectly timed for a match today, Ash. I'll just wait until whenever you three are ready for each of your challenges." Skyla told the three young men, as both Ash and Cheren nodded.

"Good, now then… Would one of you already like to get started?"

**To Be Continued…**


	57. Chapter 56: Jet Badge Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A storm of trouble slowly makes its way towards the gym as Ash and Cheren earn their sixth badge against Skyla; though why is Bianca so hesitant to begin her challenge against Skyla before chaos ensues?

_**Cheren's Challenge:** _

As Cheren walked up to the battlefield within Skyla's gym, as Skyla stepped up to her side of the field in turn, both trainer and gym leader respectively gazed at each other from the opposite end of the field, all the while Ash, Misty, Iris, and N were in the audience.

"So where's Bianca?" Iris asked Ash.

"Didn't she say she had something to do first?" Ash answered, as N shrugged.

"If she's busy it might be best to just not nag her about joining us just yet." N answered, as Iris sighed, before the four of them turned their attention back to Cheren and Skyla; watching as Cheren sent out his Braviary as Skyla had sent out a Pokémon which Ash's Pokédex scanned it.

"Swanna, the White Bird Pokémon and the Final Form of Ducklett. It administers sharp, powerful pecks with its bill. It whips its long neck to deliver forceful repeated strikes." Ash's Pokédex scanned.

"Pokémon, GO!" Cheren called, as Braviary directly towards Skyla's Swanna, immediately grabbing hold of it with his sharp, powerful talons before flying up into the air and spinning around several times in a vertical path. As Braviary flew downwards with an immense force, Swanna was tossed into the ground as Braviary let loose a wild call as he flew back over towards Cheren's side of the field.

"Swanna, Ice Beam!" Skyla called, as Swanna let out a harmonious cry before letting loose a powerful stream of ice towards Braviary, hitting Braviary spot on as Braviary moved to grab hold of Swanna again in flight and drag it into the sky again. As Swanna continued to use Ice Beam to attack Braviary, it ended up causing both of them to freeze solid and plummet to the ground in a loud crash.

Swanna, knocked out upon impact as Braviary moved to just barely stand up after the impact, yet again let loose a wild call as Swanna was returned to its Poké Ball. Skyla proceeded to call out her next Pokémon.

"Alright, Unfezant, you're up next!" Skyla called, as the Unfezant that manifested was a female much like Ash's due to the lack of a waddle, but unlike Ash's Unfezant, this one was in its normal coloration.

"Unfezant, Steel Wing!" Skyla ordered, as Unfezant screeched and few towards Braviary with her wings forming into metallic blades.

"Braviary, Superpower!" Cheren ordered, as Braviary gave a powerful call towards Unfezant as he moved to attack her in a full on, fully charged full body tackle that left Unfezant knocked back onto the ground, but leaving Braviary knocked out in the process.

As Cheren called Braviary back to his Poké Ball, Cheren called out Watchog next to face Unfezant with.

"Watchog, make this one count!" Cheren called, as Cheren called forth Watchog as he watched as Watchog maintained full eye contact onto Unfezant, as he stood completely still as Unfezant flew forward to attack, just before Watchog blocked Unfezant on the spot with an semi-visible, but sturdy force field of sorts. Just as Unfezant moved to growl towards Watchog defiantly, Watchog didn't even flinch before summoning a bolt of thunder into the room and striking Unfezant head on; knocking her out in an instant.

As Skyla called back Unfezant, she noticed how Cheren was battling so far and decided to comment.

"You're already familiar with my girlfriend, yes? I heard about what she had told me about you when you had first met her. I'm not sure whether it was an accident or not, but you could've at least made the situation less embarrassing by walking away without saying anything." Skyla remarked.

"And let her call me a pervert immediately afterwards? I wouldn't count on it, especially since you didn't seem to call N one when he had groped you earlier." Cheren remarked, as Skyla groaned a bit.

"Just be thankful I'm more forgiving about it than my girlfriend is." Skyla spoke, "Speaking of which… Zapdos, you're up next!" Skyla called, as she had sent out the Pokémon in question from an Ultra Ball; the Pokémon surged the entire battlefield with an electrical current, as the Legendary Pokémon let loose a sharp, deafening cry.

"Zapdos, the Electric Legendary Pokémon. A legendary Pokémon that is said to live in thunderclouds. It freely controls lightning bolts." Ash's Pokédex explained, as he had watched how Cheren's Watchog had reacted immediately to Zapdos' presence by firing a powerful Hyper Beam from his eyes, causing the Electric Pokémon to take massive damage to itself, just before Zapdos scored the KO against Watchog with fierce, drill-like peck towards Watchog that had sent Watchog flying back towards Cheren's side.

As Cheren called back Watchog, N was listening to everything as to what both of their Pokémon were saying; these were not like the Pokémon he had been raised alongside in the past, but these Pokémon felt and spoke genuinely happy things about their trainers and their battles.

' _It feels… off… Did Ghetsis deliberately raise me in an environment of abused Pokémon just to take advantage of me?'_ N thought to himself, as he watched carefully as Cheren had called back Watchog, before sending out his final Pokémon.

"Alright, Skyla, this one is going to be a treat for all of you, and would probably make even Iris blush a bit if anything; Haxorus, I choose you!" Cheren called as he had sent out the large, powerful looking Dragon Pokémon known as Haxorus, as it had unleashed a powerful roar towards Zapdos as Zapdos looked rather stunned by Haxorus' presence.

"Haxorus, the Axe Jaw Pokémon and the Final Form of Axew. Their sturdy tusks will stay sharp even if used to cut steel beams. These Pokémon are covered in hard armor." Ash's Pokédex explained as Iris giggled.

"I could've easily told you about Haxorus better than that Pokédex ever could, you know that, Ash~!" Iris said with a giggle, as Ash merely nervously laughed as Misty had smiled warmly.

"Pokémon, GO!" Cheren and Skyla both called as Zapdos proceeded to let loose a powerful burst of wind towards Haxorus' direction, as Haxorus endured the attack long enough to summon forth giant, rocky spires around Zapdos, before slamming them into the Electric Legendary Pokémon from all directions, just as Haxorus charged forward and slashed with powerful front claws to strike at the entombed Zapdos repeatedly before Haxorus roared, as several, powerful meteors of Draconid power were summoned forth and bombarded Zapdos from the sky with an immense power.

As the rocky formations around Zapdos faded, Zapdos fell to the ground, knocked out as Skyla had moved over towards Cheren while the last attack was being used to move to hand Cheren his sixth badge.

"Oh, and by the way; next time you see Elesa, tell her I want to talk with her in private, okay?" Skyla muttered towards Cheren as Cheren nervously chuckled a bit in annoyance.

"A-Alright…" Cheren said, as he looked over towards Ash as he took his seat in the audience, sitting next to Bianca as she had arrived while the battle was underway.

"So are you going up after Ash?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca remained silent as she had focused on her Pokédex more so than Cheren's question, causing some confusion in Cheren.

"Uh… Bianca…?" Cheren asked, as even N noticed the confusion from Cheren and took note of it, wondering why Bianca was worked up at the moment...

_**Ash's Challenge:** _

Ash didn't need any obvious recommendations for this challenge; he had no less than three Pokémon who could easily fend for themselves against Skyla's Pokémon, and upon Skyla sending out her Unfezant first, Ash didn't waste time with sending out Raichu first.

"Alright; Raichu! Electric Terrain!" Ash had ordered, as Raichu sparked from his cheeks and summoned forth a powerful surge of electricity that had covered the field below both fighters. All the while Skyla's Unfezant had moved to strike Raichu with a powerful, fully charged strike in the form of Giga Impact.

As the entire battlefield was shaking in response to the impact, though, Raichu did not budge; having telekinetically blocked Unfezant's charge, Raichu proceeded to knock out Unfezant with a single strike from Thunderbolt. As Ash watched as Skyla called Unfezant back, she called forth Zapdos next.

"Alright; Zapdos! Signal Beam!" Skyla ordered, as Zapdos let loose a sharp cry before unleashing a torrent of a solid, but thin, multicolored beam of energy towards Raichu that was dodged immediately by the Mouse Pokémon. As Raichu moved to create illusions of itself before Zapdos, Zapdos found itself repeatedly zapping at the numerous copies with Signal Beam to try and desperately find the real one; it was too late, though, as Raichu's powerful psychic abilities had moved to strike at Zapdos in full force, landing two hits in such a short span that it had knocked out Zapdos to the ground as a result.

As Skyla called back Zapdos, Skyla called forth her next Pokémon, "Moltres, I choose you!" Skyla called, as she called forth the second Legendary Pokémon as a radiant flame burst through the arena, as Moltres formed itself in the center as it had let loose a high pitched, very scratchy in tone cry.

"Raichu! Volt Tackle against Moltres!" Ash called.

"Raaai-CHU!" Raichu acknowledged, charging himself with electricity as Raichu had levitated itself to charge into Moltres at such an immense, overwhelming force that it had knocked out Moltres before it had even a chance to move.

 _ **(Hello? Can anyone hear me? Is that N I hear thinking to himself?)**_ Victini's voice could be heard, as N picked up on it instantly.

' _Yes? What do you need?'_ N had asked.

 _ **(Eh, not much in all honesty; I'm more surprised you're now on Ash's side more so than how Raichu is leaving an absolute wreck of the Legendary Birds.)**_ Victini spoke up, as N watched as Skyla had sent out the third of them, indicated by Bianca's Pokédex to be Articuno, before watching as Articuno had moved to summon forth an entire flurry of snow an ice to attack Raichu with.

"Rai! Rai!" Raichu spoke, as he had taken the hit at full forced, but had floated himself above the blizzard attack and moved to jump off of his own tail as it charged itself with metallic energy, "CHUUU!" before slamming said metallically charged tail directly onto Articuno's head, as Articuno was immediately knocked out from the direct hit of the attack.

' _So why is Raichu so strong in that case, Victini?'_ N thought so that Victini could possibly answer him.

 _ **(I'm not all entirely familiar with the Raichu that Ash has, but I had seen enough of him in action against myself when he was merely a Pichu to know that Raichu was bred from birth, through one method or another, to be the absolute strongest of the litter he was from; that determination in Raichu's eyes do not lie to me when I see that he is actually stronger than Ash's Samurott.)**_ Victini explained, as N turned his gaze back towards the battle.

As Skyla drew out her next Poké Ball, she called upon her next Pokémon; the form of a Pidgeot taking hold as Skyla's next surprise had Ash stunned at first.

"Canopus! Mega Evolution!" Skyla had called, as she tapped a key stone in the palm of her own glove, as the Pidgeot, apparently Sirius' former Pidgeot known by the same name as Canopus, surged with energy as a sphere began to encase it, before Pidgeot burst out of it with an increasingly large, feather mane, as well as color tipped wing feathers as Pidgeot let loose a fierce cry towards Raichu.

"So, this is my dad's former Pidgeot, eh?" Ash asked Skyla, as he looked towards Raichu; noticing Raichu still had plenty of energy to stand, Ash chuckled a bit. "What else did my dad leave behind that he would allow others after him to become so strong?" Ash had asked Skyla, as Skyla shrugged.

"To be honest, I barely knew your father; that's why I took it upon myself to raise his Pidgeot once I learned of what had happened to him." Skyla answered, simply. N could see the last remaining Poké Ball on Skyla's belt begin to shake and tremble a bit, as he looked towards Bianca to notice her shivering a little even in her coat, as N could sense that something was approaching outside.

"Pokémon, GO!" Ash and Skyla called towards Raichu and Mega Pidgeot respectively. As Raichu knew from experience that he could not miss his next attacks, Raichu immediately summoned forth massive, powerful bolts of thunder down onto Mega Pidgeot; only to see each repeated strike barely even manage to faze the Bird Pokémon in the slightest.

As Pidgeot swooped in and sent a fiery current of air towards Raichu, Raichu could quite literally feel the burn from the attack, as Raichu was only now beginning to weaken.

"Raichu! The time is now!" Ash called, as only now did his aura flare up at all, as when it did, it flared up to Phase 3 near instantly as Ash had channeled energy into Raichu through a gesture of sorts, as Raichu radiated with energy upon Ash's aura activating.

"RAI! RAICHU!" Raichu called, as Raichu floated up into the above, as Ash made another gesture with his hand as Raichu propelled himself towards Mega Pidgeot with a powerful, fully charged and surging strike of electrical energy, as Raichu teleported itself back to Ash's side as an explosion engulfed Skyla's side of the field just after Mega Pidgeot had attempted second use of Heat Wave to attack Raichu with.

As Mega Pidgeot was knocked out upon the dust clearing and reverting back into Pidgeot, Skyla clapped as she looked towards Ash and Raichu.

"Well done, you two. You've certainly proven that you're far stronger than I could even remotely have prepared for it seems." Skyla congratulated them, all the while the weather could be heard intensifying outside as thunder could be heard, just as the Poké Ball on Skyla's belt could be seen shaking even further.

"With that, I feel it would be unwise for me to continue the fight without having managed to knock out a single Pokémon from your team in a full battle like this. So, with that, I present to you your sixth badge; the Jet Badge!" Skyla announced to Ash as she handed him the badge in question, as Ash and Raichu both cheered in excitement that they managed to win, Ash's aura dissipating just as quickly as Ash had called upon it.

"Rai! Raichu!" Raichu squeaked joyfully, as Ash giggled as Raichu moved to tackle into Ash in a joyful hug.

"I can't believe that training you had went through actually paid off, Raichu!" Ash said as he looked at Raichu happily, all the while Skyla could be seen visibly panicking all of a sudden, hearing the loud, thundering noise from outside as a winter storm could be heard striking the area.

"Incoming!" Skyla yelled towards everyone, as forcing itself out of Skyla's last Poké Ball in a blue light, her last, now former, Pokémon had appeared from it; a large, green colored avian which Bianca's Pokédex quickly had to identify just as something else broke through the ceiling of the building; a large, blue, Dragon-like Pokémon that surged with electricity from its barbed tail.

"Tornadus and Thundurus, the Cyclone and Bolt Strike Legendary Pokémon. These two Pokémon have shared a long rivalry towards the other as they both wreaked havoc across Unova their ferocious gales and fierce thunderstorms respectively. Only when Landorus appeared did their rampage come to an end."

**To Be Continued…**


	58. Chapter 57: Tempest in the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the fight wages on between Tornadus and Thundurus, Ash goes to seek out Landorus to solve the crisis, just as his actions draw the attention of an Ambassador from another world...

As Tornadus and Thundurus both moved to fight each other as they took their fight outside, as the two Legendary Pokémon grappled with each other, all the while Cheren and Bianca went to seek shelter from their fight, as Misty and Iris, alongside N, went towards Ash and Skyla's side.

"Do you have a plan, Skyla?" Iris asked regarding the two Legendary Pokémon that were literally causing a storm outside with their fighting, all the while Ash looked towards Misty and N.

"Both of you, take the fight to the duo outside; I have a plan that'll be risky but it'll solve the situation." Ash ordered the N and Misty, as both Misty and N nodded as they had rushed outside to deal with Tornadus and Thundurus as Skyla had her own Pokémon sent out to deal with the rampaging duo. Iris looked at Ash with concern.

"Ash, tell me you're be alright during this… Please…! None of us want to lose you a second time…" Iris cried as she was given a brief, but affectionate peck on the cheek from Ash.

"I'll be fine; nobody is laying a hand on me with my Pokémon by my side." Ash reassured her, as he went outside and immediately tossed two Poké Balls out into the open as Raichu had followed in hot pursuit.

"Zekrom! Altair! To the skies, and fast!" Ash spoke, as Ash had jumped onto Zekrom's back as the Deep Black Legendary Pokémon immediately took to the skies, with Altair grabbing hold of Raichu's back as the two smaller Pokémon had flown into the air after Zekrom.

With Misty sending out Kyogre knowing the weather was already as bad as it could get, Kyogre transformed into its Primal Form after the crystalline glass formed around itself before shattering to reveal its fully powered forme. As Kyogre moved to blast Tornadus and Thundurus with Ice Beam, both Legendary Pokémon teamed up against Kyogre to immediately dispatch of the Sea Basin Pokémon with a combination of Flying and Electric Type moves to immediately take Kyogre out of the battle.

Taking out Kyogre wouldn't be so easy, though, as N's Reshiram had appeared and served as a shield towards the attack Kyogre would've taken, roaring towards the chaotic Legendary Pokémon as it fired a stream of absolutely hot flames towards the duo, as Kyogre responded to Reshiram's gratefulness by firing off a powerful Ice Beam towards Tornadus and Thundurus.

As Tornadus and Thundurus seemed to dodge the attacks by hiding within thick clouds, the duo were taken by surprise when a breath of icy, but fiery, stream of energy struck Thundurus, both he and Tornadus turned as Kyogre and Reshiram moved to acknowledge the new challenger.

"Hey! You two! Quick causing trouble when that 'Big G' guy is already causing too much of it!" The wolf-like, metal covered Digimon that was earlier referred to as Tempest appeared in the hills to the side, as numerous pores moved to open on his body, "Grand Cross Freezer!" He shouted as he fired numerous missiles towards Tornadus and Thundurus, only for both Legendary Pokémon to utilize their powers over the weather to completely destroy the projectiles before they could even hit, as both of them took their rage out on the MetalGarurumon that is Tempest.

Meanwhile, as Ash had flown to the other side of the region on Zekrom's back, with Raichu and Altair following behind as the quartet arrived to a shrine in the east side of Unova, as the statue of humanoid turning feline Legendary Pokémon could be seen here.

"How did you know this place existed?" Altair asked Ash due to surprise as to how Ash knew of Landorus' Shrine, all the while he initially watched as Ash moved his hands forward, before Altair did the same.

"Great Landorus, hear our call! Tornadus and Thundurus are causing a rampage beyond our control! We ask for you to join our side in soothing their rage!" Ash began to speak, as both he and Altair charged aura into Landorus' statue, just as something could be heard growling as the jaguar-like form of Landorus had emerged from the shrine, giving an intimidating, curious raise of an eye as Landorus stared down Ash, Zekrom, Raichu, and Altair. Despite whatever the Pokédex had said on all three of them, both Tornadus and Thundurus, in addition to Landorus, manifested in the form of giant sized Legendary Pokémon that didn't reveal their true forms underneath yet.

"You speak for my presence… But I ask of you… Do you have the strength to back up your own presence here?" Landorus asked, his voice booming as he looked down to Ash and his three currently out Pokémon. As Landorus let out a small, hearty chuckle, he transformed into a smaller version of his feline-like form as he floated up to Ash.

"You, well, you're different compared to any other human who had summoned me; I have a plan to solve your problem; I simply ask of you to catch me. Are you capable of that?" Landorus asked of Ash, as Ash had nodded in response to Landorus' judgment. As Landorus had a careful gaze at Ash, he chuckled a bit.

"Proceed." Landorus ordered, as Ash drew out a Poké Ball to catch Landorus with; taping it against Landorus' snout as it drew Landorus inside…

One shake, *click*

"… Huh, that's… new…" Ash spoke up, as he looked towards Raichu and Altair, before mounting back onto Zekrom's back.

"Turning it around, boys!" Ash called, as Zekrom roared as he flew off into the air, as Altair jumped back onto Raichu's back as the two of them followed behind Ash.

Back at the Mistralton City farms next to the gym, Kyogre and Reshiram were struggling against how absolutely massive in power that Tornadus and Thundurus even had, as the massive sized, aura projected armor that both Legendary Pokémon used to power themselves up were moving to restrain both Reshiram and Kyogre, before strikes from rocks and leaves could be felt impacting the duo next.

"HEY! BACK OFF!" Bianca called, as she intensified her heartsoul amplification on Terrakion as did Cheren the same for Virizion, before both Terrakion and Virizion jumped up into the air, before moving to land a powerful, massive blow of heartsoul energy causing giant fists and boots to manifest and repeatedly strike at Tornadus and Thundurus with the energy originating from both Bianca and Cheren and Terrakion and Virizion respectively.

As Ash arrived back on the scene, Ash jumped down and landed beside Tempest on the ground.

"Zekrom, Dragon Claw! Altair, Aura Storm! Raichu, Psychic!" Ash gave the order, his voice fierce and commanding in tone as Tempest simply turned to stare at Ash in amazement.

"How may I be of assistance, Aura Guardian to be?" Tempest asked Ash, as he scanned any potential moves on him that could help, as Ash looked towards his Pokémon; watching as Zekrom struck Tornadus and Thundurus with a powerful slash of claws; Altair blasting the duo with a beam of aura energy, and Raichu utilizing its telekinetic abilities to get the two closer towards the ground.

"Hold the line for us, I'll get the two to weaken; Landorus, I choose you!" Ash called, as he had sent out Landorus as the Abundance Pokémon moved to forge itself into its giant form much like the other two, before tackling Tornadus head on, as Thundurus tried to continue to attack only for its attacks to be nullified by Landorus' hide.

Ash jumped down towards the ground as he looked over towards Cheren and Bianca. "Both of you, ready some Ultra Balls to catch Tornadus and Thundurus; if we're ending their rampage, we're doing so by catching the whole trio." Ash commanded as Cheren was surprised and stunned by Ash's voice at this moment.

"Wow… Ash… I know it may seem like an awkward time but your tone actually sounds like authority and feels legitimate! Where did all of this come from all of a sudden?!" Cheren spoke towards Ash with a small bit of glee.

"Ash, did you already catch Landorus?" Bianca asked, as Ash nodded.

"Yes, so catching Tornadus or Thundurus shouldn't be a problem!" Ash noted as the fight broke out between all of Ash's Pokémon, as N was having Reshiram utilizing Blue Flare against Tornadus and Thundurus, as Misty had gestured for Primal Kyogre to use Origin Pulse against the duo as well, as well as the fact that Landorus was smashing both Tornadus and Thundurus into the ground, just as Cheren and Bianca arrived on the scene.

"Poké Ball, GO!" Both of them called in unison, as they tossed Ultra Balls towards Tornadus and Thundurus, as both of them were drain into them, all the while Skyla held her breath as she had watched the fight and weather begin to calm.

One shake, two shakes…

Tornadus and Thundurus, though, both broke out as they had roared defiantly towards Bianca and Cheren, all the while Ash looked over towards Tempest.

"NOW!" Ash called towards Tempested as Tempest jumped up into the air as an immense charge of icy fire formed in his mouth.

"Metal Howling!" Tempest roared towards Tornadus and Thundurus in an immensely powerful force, causing both Legendary Pokémon to revert into their true, smaller forms. "… And…" Tempest said as he resumed charging up an immense energy in his mouth, "Cocytus Breath!" Tempest yelled, as a combined attack from him, Kyogre, Reshiram, Zekrom, Altair, Raichu, Terrakion, Virizion, and Landorus had struck Tornadus and Thundurus with such an immense force that it had effortlessly knocked out both of the two Legendary Pokémon. With both of them down for the count, Cheren and Bianca tried again.

"Poké Ball, GO!" Cheren and Bianca called, as they both tossed Timer Balls this time towards Tornadus and Thundurus respectively, drawing both of them inside.

One shake, two shake, three shakes… *click*

As Landorus reverted back into its original state, it floated over towards Ash as Zekrom and Reshiram both powered down their energy output, as Ash, Cheren, Bianca, Misty and N were all visibly sweating as the fight had now come to a close. Iris, meanwhile, was hiding behind Skyla as the latter comforted her.

"It's alright now, Iris; they won't hurt you again like they had tried to last time…" Skyla said to comfort the younger Iris, as Iris was shivering from the cold.

"C-Could we please go back inside now?" Iris asked, as by that point, the other five had called their Pokémon back, as Skyla had called her own Pokémon back that had been knocked out from the fight, all the while Canopus landed beside Skyla; down, but not out, before getting patted on the head by Skyla gently as everyone had walked back inside.

Once everyone was back inside the gym, Skyla had looked over towards Bianca.

"Say, Bianca, is it? Don't you still have a gym challenge against me?" Skyla had asked, all the while Bianca closed her eyes and thought about this carefully. Cheren stood by her side as was quiet for a while.

"Actually… I don't feel like continuing my attempts to become a trainer of that type any further…" Bianca confessed, as Cheren looked at her in surprise.

"It doesn't mean I won't give up being a trainer altogether, just that… truth be told… I had taken some time to think about it… and I had to ask myself; what would I truly gain if I had managed to win the league? The job of a champion doesn't seem like an easy one, or even a safe one, so I decided that from now on, I'm not going to focus on gym battles anymore, but to instead focus my tasks as a trainer elsewhere." Bianca continued to confess, as Bianca looked at Cheren with a bit of worry.

"A-Are you mad at me for thinking I've just given up on the path we all had tried to pursue from the beginning?" Bianca asked Cheren, only to be greeted by a comforting hand from him on her cheek, before Cheren moved in to kiss Bianca rather sweetly; not afraid if anyone else in the group was watching the two. All he could focus on was Bianca and her priorities at this moment.

"Bianca… I wouldn't be upset if you have changed your goals like that… I'd understand if you had truly desired something different from the rest of us, as any loving boyfriend would know how to for someone like you." Cheren told Bianca, as Bianca's eyes began to water a bit from the joy she had felt, before moving to hug Cheren close as she had dragged the two of them into another kiss; Cheren moving to hug her back.

"Say, uh, Iris, is it? What are those two doing?" N asked Iris.

"They're just kissing, why?" Iris answered N's question, looking a bit confused as to how he wouldn't know of that already.

' _Is… Is that what I had seen in my mind as I had tried to communicate with Ash back in Nimbasa City…?'_ N thought to himself, recalling the memory from that day, but shook it off once he had thought about what else had also tried to happen to him in particular that day as well.

As everyone began to calm down, Tempest approached Ash as he had looked towards Ash and Altair with a serious expression.

"You two; may I have a word with you two, preferably alone?" Tempest asked of Ash and Altair, as both of them looked at each other before nodding, as they followed Tempest to somewhere quiet.

"So… Who are you, anyways? Are you another Digimon just like Flare?" Ash had asked Tempest, as Tempest turned around and looked at the duo.

"Yes, yes I am; I am specifically an Ambassador; hired by Yggdrasill to serve and protect those who near the border of the Digimon Universe; as the Pokémon Universe is dangerously close to our borders, that means it is my job to ensure that nobody from my universe tries to interfere with your own." Tempest introduced, as Ash and Altair held their gaze towards him.

"And you want us to keep this fact a secret, yes?" Ash asked, as Tempest nodded.

"I see you're already at least somewhat familiar; speaking of Flare, have you run into her by any chance? Be it with her original coloration or an altered one?" Tempest had asked the two, as both Ash and Altair shook their heads no.

"… Oh… that's bad…" Tempest said, as he looked towards the two more seriously. "Since that means that after all of this past day, that the human in this universe known as Ghetsis had managed to get a hold of her again." Tempest said, as Ash and Altair gasped in surprise.

"G-Ghetsis? You mean the- No, ACTUAL leader of Team Plasma?!" Ash had asked Tempest, as Ash was no longer fooled now that N was no longer part of Team Plasma about who Ghetsis truly was now in terms of ranking.

"Indeed. And while I'm only allowed to interfere if it involved getting the attention of another Ambassador, to try and contact help in the case of an emergency, or if our hands are forced into action by an attack from the natives of your world, I must ask you to try and do what you can to track down any information possible regarding Flare's whereabouts, because there is something that neither Ghetsis nor Hoopa had realized when they both had tried to take control of her." Tempest explained, as Ash and Altair continued to listen.

"Go on…"

"You see, us Digimon are not allowed to utilize our maximum power output while in your own universe; it is strictly enforced by Yggdrasill that our powers remain in a temporarily drained stat to ensure that none of us Digimon that appear in your universe can utilize their full power… so, what I'm trying to say is…"

"Ghetsis had found a way in which to force Flare into utilizing her full power, against both her own will, and also against the will of Yggdrasill." Tempest finished that part of the explanation.

"So what is the worst case scenario if we don't manage to rescue Flare from him?" Ash asked.

"Worst case scenario, at possible, is that Ghetsis will eventually figure out how to track down me and have me captured and forcefully corrupted all the same… If he succeeds in that, Flare and I are capable of a fusion referred to as 'Jogress Evolution', from which if Ghetsis corrupts us both and he knows of our ability to utilize that… well…"

"… Let's just say that the demonic warrior born from that type of fusion will be far worse than any other opponent that you'll ever face…"

**To Be Continued…**


	59. Chapter 58: Blood Moone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and his friends, among numerous others, all have varying forms of plans for the upcoming league as they begin to head for Icirrus City; an unfamiliar enemy appears with some background involving Team Plasma, but once said enemy is defeated faster than anticipated, how will Ghetsis handle a certain something without his help...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AN 11/23/2016: Had to make some quick fixes to the Pokedex entries shown in this chapter based off of confirmed information from Sun and Moon. I've been meaning to do it earlier, but I had forgot.)

Rushing through the early morning darkness, Solgaleo's bright, fully metallic body shined through what minimal starlight there was as heavy cloud coverage was beginning to take hold just up ahead. As the large, majestic Sunne Legendary Pokémon charged through the night, eventually coming into contact with deep snow ahead that the powerful quadruped wasn't even remotely slowed down by, Solgaleo began to try and seek out communication with a certain other.

 _ **(Lunala, come in; do you sense what is emerging up ahead in my line of light?)**_ Solgaleo asked, as with a sharp, majestic cry from above appeared Lunala absolutely shining through the night light, lowering to the ground just close enough to Solgaleo as to not crash while in flight.

 _ **(I can hear you loud and clear, Alchemist, but what I want to know is how much longer we'll be having to deal with this buffoon of a reality warper that's arriving tonight...)**_ Lunala spoke towards Solgaleo, as quickly the Sunne Legendary Pokémon jumped up to land on a tall cliff to which Lunala performed a 90 degree turn upwards into the air to avoid crashing, before meeting back up with Solgaleo.

 _ **(Careful, Lunala; do that again and you'll be near dead before you know it.)**_ Solgaleo spoke, as the Moone Legendary Pokémon simply chuckled a bit.

 _ **(... Really, Solgaleo? Are you seriously worried that a Legendary Pokémon like myself can perish all that easily?)**_ Lunala spoke towards its counterpart, as Solgaleo growled a bit in annoyance.

_**(Whatever, just be cautious with our adversary up ahead; we have no idea what to expect from Eidolon this time aside from what'll finally-)** _

_**(I SEE HIM UP AHEAD! GOING TO BEGIN HOMING IN NOW!)**_ Lunala said as it suddenly zoomed forward all the while its body began to radiate with a powerful light, all the while letting loose a sharp cry as Solgaleo gave a deep call ahead.

 _ **(FALL BACK FALL BACK! IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE LIKE THAT AGAINST THAT ABOMINATION! Ugh, whatever; I'll make sure that bastard pays for what he did to our friend once this is over...!)**_ Solgaleo roared, smashing clear through a series of boulders in its path with extended front claws of fiery metal piercing through the rocks, before resuming its charge ahead as clouds were beginning to gather further up ahead.

_**Meanwhile...** _

At the Pokémon Center, very early into the morning at Mistralton City, everyone was either asleep or beginning to make plans for trips to elsewhere; nobody in Ash's group was asleep at this time, though, as everyone had their own different reason for being awake.

In Cheren's case, though, it was something troubling him more so than what Bianca would've worried about in comparison.

"Am I just not strong as a trainer? Is that why she's decided to take on another path?" Cheren asked himself, looking into a small pool of water that was frozen at the surface as he sat outside on a bench to be by himself. However, when he saw a reflection of Bianca on the pond approaching him, he groaned a bit as he looked towards Bianca.

"What do you want, Zoroark?" Cheren asked; he knew Bianca would never come out in the cold like this…

… Or so he'd think, as Bianca sighed a bit as she moved to sit beside Cheren, as her presence made it clear to Cheren that she is the real deal.

"… Or, uh… the actual Bianca… Sorry…" Cheren said as he noticed how warmly dressed Bianca was, and how Bianca moved a warming blanket over Cheren in an affectionate gesture.

"Cheren, are you alright?" Bianca asked, as Cheren looked at her, before slightly averting his gaze and sighing before looking back at her.

"I-I'm fine… I just… well… Do you think I'm just a lot weaker than any of us as trainers?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca blinked in surprise.

"What do you mean by that, Cheren? You seemed rather bold for facing Skyla knowing what all other Pokémon she had after all." Bianca complicated, as Cheren blinked.

"… You do realize most of those Pokémon ended up facing Ash's own 'team', right?" Cheren brought up, as Bianca chuckled a little bit.

"Yeah, to think it wasn't all that long ago in which Raichu was just an egg…" Bianca noted, as she stopped chuckling to look at Cheren more seriously, noticing his downer expression.

"But… still… why do you have this feeling of being so much weaker than the rest of us, especially when I was just about to ask Iris what happened yesterday?" Bianca brought up; it was true, Iris did act off yesterday during the incident with the Forces of Nature, but Cheren still thought about something else instead regarding the question.

"Do you recall how my gym battle with Lenora had went?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca nodded.

"Yes; you won using Virizion and got the Basic Badge as a result." Bianca said, simply, as Cheren looked baffled a bit.

"Not just that, Bianca, think about it; what else happened during then that resulted in me winning in the first place?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca gasped once Cheren was stressing this bit more clearly.

"O-Oh… That… When you had first awoken your Heartsoul Amplification prematurely… In which Virizion proceeded to not just sweep Lenora's team, but a-also…" Bianca struggled to finish, but was interrupted by the warm embrace of Cheren; his arms wrapping around her as Bianca calmed down a bit.

"… It doesn't hurt like that; not anymore…" Cheren was quick to mention, "Now, do you recall what I had told you about what had happened back in Nuvema Town before we had returned here?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca silently nodded.

"Y-Yes, I remember that too clearly…" Bianca said, as Cheren nodded.

"Do you get what I'm trying to say now? All of my gym battles since then; my other battles with Pokémon since then; the only reason I could ever win was by overpowering the opponent with an energy that I myself don't understand as much as you or Misty do… Now do you know what I mean?" Cheren asked Bianca, as Bianca nodded.

"I understand, but Cheren… I want to make something clear…" Bianca began to say, as she had placed a finger on Cheren's lips to silence him before he could interrupt.

"Just because you had won using that power, doesn't mean it isn't a bad thing overall; you have access to a power only so many can truly control to a certain extent, and the fact your Serperior has a forme change much like my own Emboar is a miracle in and of itself; so don't be mad at yourself for having this sort of power…" Bianca began, before silently moved to kiss Cheren on the cheek.

"It's how you use this power, and the responsibility that comes with it, that is something you need to worry more about than simply having this power period; you can easily risk yourself getting hurt through reckless usage of this power than do anything truly wrong with it. I've known you long enough to know this about you, Cheren; you're not stupid to do something bad with this power, so blaming yourself over using it in general is just something that feels unnecessary…" Bianca spoke, as Cheren looked uneasy at the moment, before Bianca quietly, but warmly, drew him closer into a hug to calm his nerves after how heavy this talk was beginning to become.

Back inside, in the shower of the bedroom were Misty and Iris, with Iris not even bothering with wasting time in terms of setting the water to hot, as Misty silently stayed outside of the stall as the hot mist began to fill the room as Misty looked over towards Iris.

"Say, Misty…? I'm sorry for not helping you guys when I should have, you know…? There's just… something very personal with me about the freezing cold weather that bothers me a lot…" Iris began to speak, as she could hear Misty entering the stall and moving to embrace her, before letting go and moving to grab something to wash through Iris' hair with.

"Still, do you think I had let anybody down at all with how I was just cowering to myself during all of that…?" Iris spoke, as Misty looked at Iris carefully; her expression made it clear that she was not mad at her at all. Iris, realizing that, calmed down as she looked deep into Misty's gaze.

"… Misty you sometimes get the better of me too easily, ya know?" Iris complimented with a small smirk, before Misty let out a silent giggle before moving to kiss Iris clean on the lips, Iris' eyes widening in surprise, before closing peacefully as the duo take care of each other as the shower goes on still.

"Still, uh, Misty? Mind if I tell you something if that's alright with you?" Iris asked her, as Misty nodded. As Iris sighed, she eventually began to speak.

"Many years ago, I was caught in the middle of a blizzard and near death… I was so heavily traumatized by it that it had affected my view of the cold weather, but also my views on Ice Type Pokémon as well; the blizzard in question was caused by a Pokémon called Kyurem, you see…" Iris began to explain, all the while she washed Misty as Misty did the same for her.

"That is why I became cowardly like that yesterday, so I do sincerely apologize for that…" Iris finished, as Misty silently sighed and moved to calmly hug Iris in a warm embrace, sweetly, all the while Iris returned the hug.

"Thank you for understanding, Misty; I just hope the others will understand as well…" Iris said to Misty, as Misty moved to quickly give Iris a kiss to her cheek to calm her down, all the while Iris blushed heavily.

"… I'm still going to need to get used to that, but I truly don't mind at all…" Iris spoke up, as she chuckled a bit lightly in nervousness, before looking at Misty more seriously. "So I'm assuming we're both going to allow ourselves and Ash to wait a while before we get more involved like Cheren and Bianca are?" Iris asked, to which she got her answer in the form of a playful splash of water towards her from Misty.

Iris giggling a bit from Misty's method of response, hugged the mute girl as she was giggling with how happy she felt at the moment, as Misty returned the hug more passionately as she closed her eyes; smiling softly as to how Iris is adjusting so well, and how peaceful it was for the two of them right now…

… As for Ash and N, though, things were quiet as they were both walking together, as Altair walked beside Ash as did Zoroark beside N as well; neither of the two looked happy for some reason, nor did Ash and N for that matter. Ash's eyes remained closed, since he was too busy determining what exactly he had sensed with his own aura that had caused him to drag N all the way out here in the dark of night.

"Ash? Do you think whatever it is might've just been a fluke?" N asked, as Ash shook his head.

"A blaring, red aura appears in view while I'm asleep, and I wake up to see I'm not just at the Pokémon Center as if nothing was wrong, but the fact still stands that SOMETHING was in vicinity that had caused my senses to flare up in immense alert meant that something near here is causing havoc!" Ash had said as he motioned for N, Zoroark, and Altair to stand still for a moment. As Ash opened his eyes, he looked up ahead and saw...

... Regulus? That didn't make sense, though; Ash closes his eyes to check Regulus' aura, and it registers as an ordinary aura that is still blue as ever. However, he could distinctly see Regulus was also searching for something; just as his senses flared up with a red flash of malevolent aura energy towards the sky; the red aura blared like a siren in Ash's mind, as when he opened his eyes to look above towards the sky, he could see a red vortex surrounded by a distorted, web-like substance beginning to appear in the sky as a giant, ray of red lights shined down from the cloudy weather.

As Regulus turned his attention to brace for combat towards something approaching, Zoroark and Altair took stances to prepare for battle as well as Ash and N looked up into the sky to see a pitch black, completely dark colored humanoid figure wearing an equally dark cloak, and from what could made out of its face, it was completely blank and white in appearance, as it slowly descended to the ground below as the portal and clouds above it had began to dissipate entirely back into normal weather, as the humanoid figure took a stance upon landing on the ground as it had darkly chuckled.

 **"̵͟C̀͡ơ̡͜m̶̀e҉̕ ̴̸f͠͝o͏r̸̀͏t͞ḩ̸͢.̢̛͢.͟.҉"** The entity spoke, as Regulus charged the humanoid with a powerful barrage of attacks from either kicks or punches, just as the mysterious entity responded by performing an odd gesture of spreading itself out like a star and freezing Ash, N, Zoroark, and Altair in place before they could even respond.

 **"̴̧S̡̕͠o͢͢,͘͢ ̧ỳ̡͏o͡u̴'̷r͠͏e ̷̀i͢m̷̀͟mun̵̨è ̡̀t̴͢͝o̵ ̷͜t̡͞҉ḩ͏a̕t̷҉ pow͏e҉r̷,͏́ ͘͞R̀e̡g͝ù̕l̨u̴s̨?̴͏͢ ͏W̵ȩ͘͝l͟͟͠l̛͏̵,̸͝ ̶͜ǵ̷o͘͏̷o҉̷d̡ ̵̛͡f̷o̕͟͠r̴͢ ̢y̡o̸̧u̡͡!͜͡"** The entity spoke, before suddenly responding by grabbing hold of a crossbow and firing numerous amounts of shots towards Ash and N as well as Altair and Zoroark, only for Regulus' aura to ignite and have him completely deflect all of the bolts heading their way.

 **"̸̢̨̨͡T̢̕H̷̀͘͜͞E͢͡ ̵̡̕͟͡W͜͢͠͞O҉̀R̶̶L̴̡̨҉Ḑ̡͠!̷̷̧"̷̡̀͟** The entity spoke, as his crossbow and bolt clip transformed in shape to a set of dual, identical swords as it moved to hack and slash at the air around itself, causing rays of light to manifest from the swords and fire outwards as Regulus dodged all of them as well as blocking all of the ones heading in Ash and N's direction perfectly. As Regulus' own aura ignited up further, he let out an ungodly howl as he pushed himself to the limit with Aura Blitz taking effect around him in an explosive display of aura.

 **"̴̀T̶͘H̨҉̴Ȩ̛ ̶̨͝͠͠W̶̧̢͟͠Ó̡͟͏͢R̸͘͢͢͡L̨͟҉D̕!̴͡͞"̕͠** The entity spoke again, as his twin swords changed in appearance to that of a more heavily built lance and a heavily built kite shield, as the entity raised it shield to face the group and fired an immensely powerful beam of energy from it towards the group, forcing Regulus to block the hit on his own... just as the entity rushed in forward with the lance and began fiercely piercing through Regulus' defenses with it in a rapid fire motion that one could swear they were hearing some kind of words being spoken alongside that motormouth rate of rapid fire attacking speed.

As Regulus collapsed to the ground as Ash and N, as well as Altair and Zoroark, unfroze, they both looked towards the scene in front of them as Regulus howled loudly to try and push his own aura further, only for it to collapse upon himself as well as the effects of Aura Blitz with it, as the entity began to laugh tauntingly to Regulus.

 **"͢͜S͏a̵ḑ, ̨re̷a̴l҉l̴͜ỳ;͢ y̵̡͠o̶̵҉u͏'̷̨l͠͠l̵ ͠͞á̴̡l̛w̡a̵̢ỳ͠͡s̨ ͏be̴͞ ҉̢̕s̷̷t͝u̡c̛ḱ̶ ͜ą̵̨t ̨̀5̡0̛%̢͞ ̡b̡̕e̴̡͏c̛̀á̛u̸͝s҉̵e̡͢ ̷̴̀o͜f̛͜ ̢͏t̵͏h̸͘͠e̸͟͝ ͜͜f̧a҉c̨͏t ̸̴y̛o̶҉u ͝ņ́͡e̛҉ve͏r̛ ͢͝͝w͘͟o̵u̶̢l̷̵҉d̴ h̛͡a҉̵́vè͘͡ ̷͘a t̨͠r̨͢͝ue̴ ͢p̴҉a̴͟rtne̢r͜ ̡of̷̛ ̷͘y̶̵̨ǫu̸͝r̀͘͢ ͏͢o̕͡w̸͞ń ̸̵t͟͜o͏͞҉ ̡̛ģŕ͜ǫ̷͘w̨̡ u̷̷p̕ ̢̛a̴loņgs̶͜͟i͝ḑ̡͞ȩ.͞.͟.̴̀ ̡͏I ͝k̴͝i̸n̴d̶̛͘ of̢̨ ̷fe̴̸e̛l ͢d́͢͡i̷s͢͞ap̸po҉̷i͘n̴͜͟ţ҉e̛͞d͏̴ ̀a͠n̛͘d͞ ̴͟͝g̴̷l͏͢͟a͠d ̀͞a̛͢t͜͠ ͢ţ̕h̵́e͠ ́͢͠ş̷̸a̢̧m͡e͡ t͡íme͜,̨̀̕ ̛͝҉t́͠rú̀l͝y̴̨."͜͏** The entity spoke, as Regulus caught his breath as the entity was just laughing at Regulus' plight at the moment, before Regulus moved to rapidly punch and kick the humanoid out of extreme aggression.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" Regulus' voice could be heard in intense anger and frustration, all the while has punching and blasting barrages of aura energy towards the unidentified individual, just as Ash and N were both too heavily baffled by what they had just missed due to being frozen to even respond properly just yet.

 **"̛̕͠B҉e̡ç̀a̵̡͞u̢͠͞śe̡ ̛̛͡y͝oų̛͟ n͠ev͢e̛r͡͝ ̸̧̨g҉̸ì̀v̵͝e̸̕̕ u̵p̵;̴̨ ́f͏̢҉o͠o̷̧͠l̶͏s ̷̀l̶͏i҉͟k̸e yo͡ù͟ ͝n҉͜͡ee̶͢d ̵̕ţǫ ̵k̕͟ń҉o̢͘̕w̷̢̡ ̀̀͟ho͢w̵ ́t̸o ̴̨l͢e͏ar̴̨͡n ̸̀the͜͠i͝r̡͝ ͟p͟͞ļ͟a̴͠c͟͠e͏..̴̨͢.͝"́** The mysterious, humanoid entity spoke out, as it was effortless surviving the attacks that Regulus was throwing at it initially. After this, Regulus had powered himself further with an explosive blast of aura around himself, before proceeding to land a punch on the humanoid's face that actually causes some recoil against the ominous figure.

 **"̷͜͟D̢̛r͘e͢ad̡f̢ù̕͜l͡ ҉́m̕ų҉t͞t͏͜! ̕L͢͞ea̵r̷͢n̷ ̢y̨͟o͏u̴r ̴҉p̕͡l͞a̛͠c̢e͘͞!"** The figure yelled, as it let loose an ear piercing shriek that sent Regulus flying back several yards and into a wall, all the while the figure moved to glide itself forward and smash its foot into Regulus' shoulder, just as Ash and N were about done with putting up with the entity's strange madness once their senses came to.

"Altair! Deal with that attacker!" Ash commanded, as Altair rushed forward to attack, as N looked at Zoroark as the latter nodded.

"Zoroark, help him out!" N called, as Zoroark rushed from the shadows before landing a powerful kick against this unidentified humanoid, causing enough recoil to take the entity by surprise, all the while Altair rushed in at intense speeds to charge the humanoid; impaling it with his razor sharp, metallic claws.

"Seriously, who or what are you, Ultra Beast?!" Altair spoke up, as the entity merely chuckled.

" **̶… Yoú n͡e҉v͞er l̛e̴árn͘, dò ̸you?͠"͡** The entity spoke, as it let out a strange chuckle of sorts; Ash froze in place as he had recognized the voice that the entity was using.

"You… You're the one who stole Misty's voice, aren't you?!" Ash asked towards the entity, as the entity let loose a powerful, agonizing shriek that forced everyone back away from it.

 **"R̀eall͞y̶? ̧Y̨o҉u̷ dón͡'̀t s҉ay..."** The entity spoke towards Ash, before suddenly floating itself up into the sky as its ear piercing shriek prevented the group from trying to attack it just yet.

 **"̨̛̛G̷̛r͝a̡͝nd͘ ͡C̸r̡̧̀oşs͞͝ ͘͜F͏͢r͘ȩ͞èz̡̕è̸r҉͜.̴͘..͡"̶͞** The entity spoke out in Tempest's voice, before summoning a barrage of missiles towards the group which freeze the ground upon impact, before N comes to first and calls out Reshiram from its Poké Ball, as the Vast White Legendary Pokémon summons an inferno of flames to counter the attack with, all the while the flames simply bounced off of the humanoid.

 **"̴̷́D̕͜a͜͡r͟͞k̴ Ga̛ia̧͡ ̧͘Fó́r̀cè͢.̛̕͡..͏̛"͏** The entity spoke again, its voice changing again to a more growly version of Flare's as Ash finally came to and didn't just send out Zekrom, but also Landorus as well, as the entity charged a powerful, dark sphere of energy before casually tossing it to the ground towards the group; Zekrom, in response, jumped into the air and performed what was effectively a spin kick with its own tail to send the dark sphere of energy back towards the target, all the while the attack was absorbed into the target.

 **.҉.́.́̕ ̢͏Ḩu͟͡h.́.̡̕͞.͡ ͞So͟͜ y̴̸͠ou̢҉̛ ̶̵c҉a̴̕͢n̸ ̴̀a͢ć̕͟t̵u̢͘͝a͜l͡l͠y̛͞ ̀͘th҉͠i҉n͝͏k̀̕͞.̸.͘͘.̸̀ ͟͞҉A̡s mù̴c͘h͢ ̷á̵s ̧y͢͠o̡̡u͝͞ ͏a̧͡l̴̕҉l̨̕ ̴̧̡b̴ǫre͜͟ ̶́m̛҉͏e̢͞.̸.̡.͘"̢̨̀** The entity spoke, before grabbing some sort of weird, glowing blue, net covered Poké Ball out of its own cloak, before tossing it into the air and sending out a creature that was completely unknown to either Ash or N, as the entity chuckled a bit before slowly beginning to vanish into the dark.

Landorus made an attempt to lunge at the mysterious entity as it tried to flee, manifesting himself into a gigantic form to try and snatch the creature, but was quickly frozen in place by what was sent out of its Poké Ball; a pitch black, prism shaped entity with massive arms.

 **"̵E̕͢͠n̕͢jo̶̧͜y͘ ̵̛͘y҉̨o̵͢u̵҉̡r̀s̀́͟elf,̛̕ ̸̢N͜͜e̢c̶r҉o̸̧͘zma͏̷.̨͡.̀͝.͏̕"̡̢** The entity called, as the creature under its command, apparently named Necrozma, moved to launch and propel Landorus in several directions; causing the Abundance Legendary Pokémon to bounce back and forth across the walls of space time themselves before suddenly crashing through one of them and falling to the ground in a heavily weakened, but still standing state. As Altair growled towards this mysterious entity, he noticed the cloaked, masked being had already made its own escape by this point.

"What... What even is that thing?!" Altair called, as his own aura flared up and began to charge up in intensity, all the while Ash took Altair's warning cue seriously as he himself began to charge up in aura intensity, to where his eyes went from the dark brown they were normally, to a piercing gold, before finally a surging red as Ash's aura began to radiate off both himself and Altair in front of him, all the while N panicked as he had looked towards Reshiram and Zekrom.

"You two! Whatever this Pokémon is, don't let it harm Ash!" N commanded, as he turned to face Necrozma as it was apparently charging up a bright, powerful attack of a dark light, before firing it down onto Ash and Altair, before Regulus and Zoroark both jumped in the path and forged a shield of sorts in front of them, as Reshiram and Zekrom rushed further ahead to tackle the unknown enemy to the ground, as the void-like, prism shaped entity used its giant arms to grab the two Dragon Type Legendary Pokémon with a telekinetic grab and toss them aside.

"Regulus! Stand back!" Ash called out, as Regulus and Zoroark jumped back, all the while Altair's eyes widened as he had heard that name being spoken.

"R-Reg- YOU MEAN THAT'S MY DAD?!" Altair shouted out, as his own aura dissipated too quickly as Necrozma moved to attack Altair in his moment of weakness, before all that could be heard next was the ear piercing cry of Lunala appearing from behind; its central eye on its face appearing in a reddish glow as its large wings folded as energy began to circle around its face, before being fired upon Necrozma with powerful, spectral energy as Altair stood there practically in shock and without any sort of reaction to what was going on.

"Hey!" Regulus shouted to Altair, as Altair slowly looked towards him.

"If you're as more of the man you think you are I'd suggest you charge back up to full power and begin wailing on this bastard!" Regulus spoke, as Necrozma could be seen charging up into the air to grab hold of Lunala by force, as its arms forced the Moone Legendary Pokémon down onto the ground, before Necrozma fired an unknown blast of energy down onto Lunala with such a heavy intensity Lunala was shrieking in an intense, agonizing sound that it had not only got N's attention, but most importantly Ash and Altair's.

 _ **(W-What has he d-done to you, N-Necrozma...?!)**_ Lunala spoke out through telepathy, before crashing to the ground flat on its backside as it had gazed at Necrozma, with nothing but absolute pain surging through its own body.

Flickering in its vision after having collided with the ground, Lunala's line of sight couldn't make out Necrozma clearly at all; all it could see was Eidolon flickering in place of Necrozma, and the very, very faint image of a shining Pokémon of sorts entering the vicinity...

 _ **(Necrozma! OPEN YOUR EYES!)**_ Solgaleo suddenly roared as it charged into view, before jumping into the air as a miniature sun formed around itself with a third eye appearing on Solgaleo's forehead, before Solgaleo spirals down against Necrozma's backside and knocked the unknown adversary off of balance from its attack on Lunala, before the Prism entity used its giant arm to manifest what appeared to be a miniature black hole from which to draw in Solgaleo and force it out of the area, the Sunne Legendary Pokémon roaring out in agony as it was forcefully dragged away from the fight, all the while Ash's aura was beginning to intensify further as his expression changed to anger.

 **"THAT IS IT!"** Ash yelled towards Necrozma with fury unknown to him normally, all the while an intense surge of aura filled his hands as Regulus' eyes widened in shock. **"AURA! BLITZ!"** Ash called as an intense field of aura energy engulfed him and summoned such a heavy downburst of wind that most of the lighter weight Pokémon were completely knocked over onto their feet, all the while Reshiram, Zekrom, and Landorus were doing their best to keep their ground.

"What is happening?!" Landorus called.

 **"The Hero of Ideals getting angry for once!"** Reshiram responded.

 **"And nobody dares mess with the Hero of Ideals when they get angry!"** Zekrom added in, as Ash looked towards Altair with a nod as Altair became encased in a sphere of energy that transformed him into Mega Lucario, all the while Regulus was watching in shock as to what he was seeing from his own son.

 **"AURA! STORM!"** Altair yelled, as he had jumped into the air and landing down onto Necrozma's large back, slamming the implacable giant several times before using his own, intense aura to blast it into the ground. As Necrozma was struggling to try and get up and stand, Altair jumped down as maintained his Mega Evolved form.

 _ **(Have… mercy… human and Pokémon… please…?)**_ Necrozma began to speak, as Ash's rage was beginning to subside at the sound of this entity's voice, even though Altair and everyone sans N and Zoroark were still tense about this situation.

 **"What are you? And why are you here?"** Ash asked Necrozma, as his anger was beginning to calm more noticeably before Necrozma began to speak again.

 _ **(… That… That entity… The Beast known as Eidolon… Do not trust him or what he forces our kind to do… Our kind are innocent with our mind; we're all forced into service by two evil men…)**_ Necrozma began to speak, before a portal behind itself began to manifest.

 _ **(Please… make your judgments wisely about who the true enemies are in this world, Hero of Ideals… I do not wish to be another pawn of the temporal demon nor this Harmonia any further…)**_ Necrozma asked, as Ash's aura calmed as he looked towards Necrozma, his eyes closing as he examined what this creature was like on the inside…

… On the inside, he could see a creature who was tortured by some madman; he could not only see the mysterious entity named Eidolon in Necrozma's mind, but also the maniacal, shouting presence of Ghetsis echoing through Necrozma's mind as well; all Ash could see next from Ghetsis towards Necrozma was… absolutely nightmarish, as he could tell Necrozma was far from the only being like this being abused by either Ghetsis or Eidolon…

 _ **(N-Necrozma's mind... i-it speaks the truth... d-do us a-all a favor... s-spare N-Necrozma of your potent-tial wr-ra-rath...)**_ Lunala, very weakly, spoke towards Ash to add in to what it was able to see in Ash's mind from what atrocities she had seen Necrozma endure, all the while N and Zoroark were doing their best to tend to Lunala's heavy wounds, as Ash glanced for a moment towards Lunala, before looking back at Necrozma to make his judgment.

"… Then you may leave…" Ash finally spoke up, as Necrozma slowly lifted itself off of the ground, before disappearing through the portal behind itself.

As everything calmed down, Ash returned Landorus and Zekrom to their Poké Balls, as he walked over towards N and Zoroark to check on the downed, and heavily injured, Lunala. As Reshiram walked towards the scene once the surroundings become peaceful again, Regulus walked up towards the still Mega Evolved Altair and gently lay a hand on his shoulder.

"You're doing better than I expected, my son…" Regulus spoke, as Altair looked at Regulus with a heavy sigh.

" **I might not understand the full context of the rules that came before me… But that's a question for later; now I ask if Lunala will make it…"** Altair said, looking towards Lunala as the Moone Legendary Pokémon let out a weakened cry. Reshiram shook its head at the outlook of the situation.

 **"This, Necrozma, even if it was forced into doing so… did too much damage for Lunala to survive in its current stage…"** Reshiram spoke up, as N, Altair, and Regulus walked up towards Lunala, gently setting a hand on the Moone Legendary Pokémon's forehead, before channeling their own aura into it. As Lunala's pain began to subside, it had begun to shrink and change in size and shape, until finally becoming a very small, very weak Pokémon that was either the shadow of its former self, or the new beginning of itself. Ash, taking note of the change in appearance, took out his Pokédex.

"Cosmog, the Nebula Pokémon. In ages past, it was called the child of the stars. It's said to be a Pokémon from another world, but no specific details are known." The Pokédex explained, as Ash looked towards Regulus.

"Regulus, I want you to take Cosmog with you to keep it safe from anything that would try and attack it; understood?" Ash asked of his old friend, as Regulus nodded before moving to grab the small, near infantile Legendary Pokémon and move to walk away. N and Zoroark, meanwhile, looked on ahead with worry.

"Will it be able to become Lunala again…?" N asked Ash, as Ash sighed.

"It'll take a good while before it can, but once it has its strength restored, it'll ultimately evolve into its former self again good as new…" Ash said, simply, as he looked over towards the confused Altair; gently setting a hand on his shoulder.

"Altair, I know there are some things you don't know about Regulus just yet, and one of them being is both of our training; we have the ability to both reach our 100% power in training, but Regulus, on the other hand, won't ever be able to truly get that chance… that's why you're here with me to begin with." Ash told Altair, as Altair looked at Ash with a heavy sigh.

 **"I… I'm not too sure how I feel about Regulus and all just yet… I know he's my dad, true, and I know how the rules work enough now that you said that… But still… I can't help but feel sorry for him with his current situation…"** Altair said, before he looked back towards where Regulus and Cosmog were departing.

"Zoroark and I will be heading back to the Pokémon Center; take as long as you need to follow us back…" N said to Ash, as he had begun to walk away to the Pokémon Center, as did Zoroark. Altair looked at Ash as he groaned a bit.

 **"… Still… I think it would be at least something if I could meet Regulus at a better time than now…"** Altair spoke, as he slowly moved to leave for the Pokémon Center. As Ash watched the three leave, Ash looked over towards where Regulus was still in view, and whispered to himself something.

"Stay safe, stay strong, my old friend…" Ash muttered off towards the soon out of sight Regulus and Cosmog, before shedding a small tear to himself, as Ash went to join N and their respective Pokémon back towards the Pokémon Center…

They had a lot to prepare for once daylight shined; Icirrus City won't be hard to reach, but deep down, from what Ash had seen that night, that their story hasn't truly begun yet, since so many questions were raised... more precisely…

… Just who or what even is Eidolon? What are these mysterious Ultra Beasts that Altair keeps calling these other lifeforms?

From the dark of the night, though, Tempest had watched the entire fight and had remained hidden the whole time.

"Now I begin to question whether or not I made a poor move by erasing their memories of myself and Flare so soon; I had no idea Eidolon was involved in all of this… This isn't going to end well…" Tempest said to himself, as he was about to move to run off after Ash and N, but stopped himself from doing so just yet.

"… Hang on, better idea; Degeneration!" Tempest spoke; his body glowing a bright light as his metallic, wolf-like appearance shifted down into a more werewolf-like appearance, to the appearance of a more mythical wolf-like animal, down to the appearance of a much smaller, reptilian animal wearing a striped pelt of sorts, and then down even further to an even smaller, orange furred animal with a large horn on its head.

"… Yah, Tunomon will do the trick. Now to just sneak to their room quickly enough before they leave…" Tempest spoke, as he bounced his way along the fields as the faint, distinct glow of the early morning sunrise was beginning to show…

… All the while Eidolon resurfaced himself from a void of pitch black, as his glowing white mask illuminated his spot in the area.

"̸ **Yo̕͝ú͞͝ ͜͝all c̵̀͘a͏n̡ r̛͟un̢,́ y͘͢ǫ̨͠ư̡ ̵͢͟a̵l̵͡l c̵͞a͞n͘ f̷͢i҉g͏̷҉h͏t̷̢̕;҉̷̧ ̛b҉͡u̕͜͜t y͢͝o̸ù͟͝ ̷̨̛m҉̛o͟s̛t́ c̨̕eŗ͠t̶̨́ai̶̡nl̷̛͢y̷ ̵͜ca͢͞n̛͟'͠͡t͠ ́͠h͟i̷̵͢de.̕.̴."̸**

_**A few hours later...** _

Ash and company were preparing to leave for Icirrus City; the group decided that even if a blizzard were to happen, they'd be able to safely fly with minimal difficulty since all of their flight capable Pokémon could easily handle such weather. As everyone aside from Ash was checking on supplies for the trip, mostly in case of an emergency, Ash was busy collecting everyone's stuff and putting them in their respective bags in the bedroom still. As he was doing this, Tempest finally arrived in the bedroom.

"Hey, Ash!" Tempest tried to whisper through the open window, as Ash was quick to notice him.

"Huh? What kind of Pokémon are you?" Ash asked, as Tempest cursed to himself a little, before bringing into view a device which flashed into Ash's eyes, as suddenly Ash began to recall thoughts and events that he had forgotten because of the same device; the first confrontation with Flare, who she was, the meeting with Tempest the day before, and how Tempest revealed to Ash that he was not allowed to remember who Tempest or Flare were unless it was an absolute emergency.

"... Tempest... So is Eidolon why you're here?" Ash asked, as Tempest nodded for what little he could manage in this form.

"Yes; I had realized I had wiped your group's memories too hastily and without much judgment, but seeing as you guys are now involved in Eidolon's quest for complete anarchy, I'll begin restoring your group's memories with just you to begin with." Tempest said, as he bounced into the room as Ash moved to have a careful look outside, before shutting the window and looking down at Tempest.

"So, what gives with the smaller form if I may ask? Did Eidolon do that to you?" Ash asked, to which Tempest chuckled.

"No, no; I did this to myself. Unlike a Pokémon, a Digimon can willingly degenerate their evolutionary forms back to the most basal form if they desire, or simply into that of a previous form of some sort." Tempest spoke up, before becoming a bit serious.

"Now then, that settled... What do you know from your own encounter with Eidolon that I may not know of myself already?" Tempest asked, as Ash took a moment to think before answering... and before he had a chance to speak... "We have reports from the higher ups in the ambassadors that he first began appearing in this world in an area called 'Chargestone Cave'... You wouldn't happen to know where that is, would you?" Tempest asked, to which Ash's eyes widened in shock, before his expression became a little more out of the ordinary as he became angered with what this revelation from Tempest must've ultimately meant.

"Tempest... I know where that place is alright, but by any chance was this sighting of Eidolon reported as MissingNo.?" Ash asked, as Tempest checked a device on his horn to check the reports that had came in from that area in particular.

"... Yes, why, is this something important?" Tempest asked, to which Ash calmed down and sighed after he nearly awoken his aura at an inconvenient time.

"I'll fill you in on the full details when I have more time to be alone, right now I'm just keeping busy trying to calm my nerves from that revelation that had suddenly hit my mind... because if what you're saying is indeed true..." Ash began to speak, as his eyes briefly turned gold from the very small field of aura generating around himself.

"Then Eidolon is someone who I simply can't let slide with his actions in the slightest; he must be brought to justice!" Ash spoke, as his own field of aura calmed again as he coughed a bit, before nearly doubling over on the floor in pain. "... I keep forgetting I need extra fluids in my diet if I'm to sustain my aura like that..." Ash spoke up, as Tempest blinked.

"How long ago was it since you last had a drink?" Tempest asked with an eye raised, as Ash slowly moved to stand.

"Not since I was in bed early last night; since it's still too dark out for flying to Icirrus City, I'm going to tell the group we're eating at the cafe here so I can make sure everyone is fed and that my aura is properly in check whenever it is needed again." Ash answered Tempest, as Tempest sighed.

"Looks like you'll need me to inform the rest of the group in that case, but I'll need to stay hidden from the employees still; it's part of my job as an ambassador that when my job is done, nobody from your world should be able to retain any memory of us existing at all." Tempest explained.

"Gotcha." Ash replied, as Ash moved to head out of the bedroom, and head downstairs to the shops where everyone else was at to inform them of the game plan for Icirrus City. Tempest, meanwhile, stayed put in the bedroom as he proceeded to transform and evolve into his next immediate form, as he took in the surroundings as he sighed in relief with noting he was still small enough to easily hide among the group still.

Downstairs, after everyone was done shopping, Ash was accompanied by a cloaked Tempest in hiding as the two of them had both went to the cafe to meet up with everyone else. Before Ash and Tempest could reach the others, though, a hand was placed on Ash's shoulder as Ash's aura sensed a blue aura approaching him as soon as he entered the cafe part of the Pokémon Center.

"Hey... Ash, is it?" Hilbert spoke to Ash; his voice sounding nowhere near as hostile as it was before, and the fact he definitely sounded much more calm in tone was what drew Ash's attention. As Ash looked over towards Hilbert, he had noticed Hilbert hand him a Poké Ball, to which Hilbert quietly tips his hat to Ash.

"Take care of Latios for me, alright?" Hilbert said, as he had moved to walk away from Ash and the accompanying Tempest, as Ash watched quietly as Hilbert went over to greet a girl with brown hair in slight curls and quietly, and rather cheerfully, chatting her up as the girl giggles a bit in response. The sight of Hilbert having a happy resolution to the problem now just made Ash smile a bit, to which Misty could be seen at the table watching, and also smiling in approval of Hilbert's new situation.

As Ash walked up to his own group, he first moved to order some food for everyone had they not been waiting on orders yet, as Ash called out Raichu and Altair from their Poké Balls and also ordered food for both of those two as well. When the clerk said only one of his Pokémon could eat a time, Hilbert walked over real quick and offered to pay to allow both of Ash's Pokémon to have food ordered for them as well.

"You sure you're willing to do that, Hilbert? Raichu does eat a lot." Ash told him, as Hilbert shrugged.

"Considering that's Alolan Raichu I'm seeing, I'll be willing to pay the price after what I had done." Hilbert brought up, to which the clerk accepted Ash and Hilbert's payments, before proceeding to arrange for the meals to be prepared, as Ash moved to sit down at the table with his friends as Raichu floated onto the windowsill next to the table, as Altair sat down on his own seat, just as Tempest hide underneath the table itself.

"Say, Ash? May I see your Pokédex please?" Bianca asked, to which Ash nodded and handed her his Pokédex. As Bianca collected Cheren's Pokédex as well, she had began transferring Pokédex entries from either Cheren or Ash's Pokédexes which would fill in any empty slots Bianca's Pokédex had.

"So, did N already tell you guys as to what had happened last night?" Ash had brought up to the group, as Cheren, Misty, and Iris shook their heads while Bianca was too focused on everyone's Pokédexes to answer.

"To be honest, N said you both were out late at night and got into a fight with something, but he couldn't specify what he had seen properly. Did you two get into another fight?" Cheren asked, as Ash shook his head, and then began to explain to Cheren and the others as to what he and N had seen last night, from being able to see Regulus again, the ominous Eidolon figure, and the weird and mysterious Pokémon in the form of Necrozma, and what had happened to Lunala because of Eidolon's control over Necrozma. During this, Tempest decided to chime in.

"Not only that, but because of Eidolon and Ghetsis effectively teaming up til one of them back stabs the other, but my friend and ally as well as numerous unspecific Pokémon are being subjected to a brainwashing device and absolutely horrifying treatment to ensure that they stay under the former's control. However, with what we had seen from Necrozma, we won't have to worry about Eidolon being able to secure control over it again, since whenever Eidolon's mind control is broken, it cannot be renewed; speaking from personal experience here." Tempest added in, as Iris sighed.

"I never knew traveling with you guys would turn this entire journey into nothing short of a bizarre adventure from what I'm hearing. I don't even know what Tempest is even though he is apparently something called a 'Digimon', according to you, Ash, or even whatever the hell Eidolon is supposed to be as well. Regardless, I sincerely believe that neither Eidolon nor Ghetsis will stand a chance against all six of us at once." Iris brought up, as N nodded.

"Agreed; I've recognized the mind manipulation that Lunala and Necrozma had went through, and can safely say that if Eidolon tries to go after any of the six of us, he will have to do a lot more than mere hypnosis to get past me!" N spoke up, as Cheren sighed in relief.

"That's glad to hear, N, but regardless of the fact and what we know and what Tempest is allowing us to help out with, I need you five to keep this all a secret for Tempest; if too much word gets out on whatever this incident is going to lead into, then it'll cause too much of a major panic than what all of us could remotely handle on our own." Ash said, as everyone nodded in response to that.

"By the way, Altair mentioned something a good while ago about something called an 'Ultra Beast'; do those by any chance have anything to relate to whatever Eidolon might be?" Cheren asked, and as if on cue, Bianca's Pokédex began to act up all of a sudden upon scanning data from Ash's Pokédex, and began to play through two entries that played with normal sounding audio from her Pokédex.

"MissingNo., the Missing Number Ultra Beast Pokémon. Unknown to Death, nor known to Life, this life-form exists beyond the normal realm of space and time."

"Necrozma, the Prism Legendary Pokémon. Reminiscent of the Ultra Beasts, this life-form, apparently asleep underground, is thought to have come from another world in ancient times."

As Bianca's Pokédex was beginning to read those two entries, the whole group nearly panicked when the Pokédex began to severely glitch up in audio and proceed to display an obscured image of Eidolon before continuing, albeit with a heavily distorted, corrupted voice, as the whole situation went from everyone having a serious but otherwise calm conversation with each other to being absolutely dead silent regarding what the Pokédex had to say next:

"͞Ę̵̀͡i̸҉̸̸̢d̨̕ơ͜l҉̕͞͠o̶̸̶͡n̸̶̡̧͠ ̵̸҉Ţ̀͜h̸̨́̕͜e͝͠҉̨͘ ͡͞W̨͜͡͡͞o̷̶̧͡r̶̀͜͟͞l̷̶̨d̨͢͜ ̶̡̛͡[̵̡̛̕͝R̷͢E͟D̴̛͟A̵̕͠C̷̨T͜͜͡͝Ę̶D͡]̢̡͜2̷̕͢͝0̴̷̢͠-̷̨͞8̶̸̷͢͡-͢5̕͟͡͡ ̴̧͟͢͜2̡҉̨͞3̵̨̛͢-̵̡̧́͟1̨͝5̵̧͜͠-̴́͝1̡͏8҉̸-̸͡͞1̵̢̧̀͢2҉̢̛͢҉-҉͏4͘͟͠[̷̛̕R҉̸͢E̷͘͘͜͡D̢̡̢͘͢A̢̡̡͜͝C̢̧T̛͟͠͠E͘͟͝D̵͘͜]͏͟͝↭̨͘͜͝⤝̴͝⇠҉̢⤟̨⤠̵̡͟͢͡⇝͜҉⤞̨͠↭̢̀{̶͏͜B̸̴̧̨̀Z̴͘͟͢Z̸Z̵̀̀Z̸̛͘͘Z̢͢͠Z̵̧Z̕͏Z̶͜͡Z̀͟͞͡Z̧͞Ź́͟͞͡Z͏͢͞҉҉Z̷̡̧͘Z̸̕͠}̵́͟͠"̡̕͜͠

"..." Everyone was quiet immediately after Bianca's Pokédex had shut itself off from the error it had. Nobody knew what to think of it; not even Tempest. Once a waiter appeared, though, everyone had quickly went to switch to a normal conversation as everyone began eating quietly. As they were quietly talking and beginning to calm after whatever happened with Bianca's Pokédex, the group began to discuss about potential flight routes, which is when Ash decided to chime in towards Cheren and Bianca.

"Say, Cheren, mind if I give you this?" Ash said, handing the confused Cheren the Poké Ball containing Latios, as Cheren scanned it with his Pokédex to check what was inside and became startled when he had just now noticed Hilbert was even in the same room as the cafe still, apparently doing a lot better as he continued to talk with the girl that had her full attention fixated on Hilbert by this point.

"... I'm not even going to question how he found us here but the fact he isn't trying to murder you anymore makes the whole thing fine now... But, even so, why would he give you Latios? Heck, why would you give me Latios? Bianca and I don't even have a Key-"

Before Cheren could finish, though, Ash grabbed hold of the Key Stone he had for a necklace and tore it off from the strand keeping it in place; as Cheren and Bianca's eyes widened in shock, Ash had handed the Key Stone to Cheren in particular as Cheren didn't know how to respond to this, aside from the obvious.

"... A-Ash... I couldn't possibly take this... Don't you still have training with-"

 **"Um... Have you not been paying attention the whole time?"** Altair finally spoke up, his voice deep and echoing much like his Mega Evolved self... as he had constantly been staying in his Mega Evolved form since a few hours ago.

"Ash, mind I ask how exactly he's been staying Mega Evolved like that the whole time? As in, no Mega Stone and now apparently not even a Key Stone either?" Cheren asked, surprised as to how he had completely missed the fact Altair was sitting in his Mega Lucario form the entire time ever since having been sent out of his own Poké Ball, all the while Ash shrugged.

"Personally, I don't know; I think it may have something to do with both of our auras, but even then, I can't be 100% sure other than the fact this is apparently not the first time it has happened in history..." Ash gave the best answer he could, as Cheren sighed as he motioned to push his glasses up, but again forgetting he no longer has glasses to do so with, so instead just pinched his brow.

"... Still, the fact is, Ash, I don't feel like I can truly accept this Key Stone knowing that this is a gift from not just Regulus but also your late father..." Cheren spoke to Ash, as Iris and Misty both turned to face Ash with both of their focus on him as Ash had remained silent for a moment before answering.

"Look, Cheren, I know the two of them mean a lot to me in my life; they've both changed me in ways that six years ago I wouldn't have believed were things I could accomplish because of who they were or who they still are. True, it does feel somewhat sad I'm choosing to give this to you and not being able to give one to Bianca as well, but ultimately, I just want something to show the two of you of how much you both mean to me in my life after having spent six years by my side, staying at home alongside me after I had consistently told you both to just go ahead and pursue your dreams without me and that you had no need to stay behind with me." Ash had finished.

"Wow..." Cheren said as he was taken a bit by surprise with what all Ash had meant with that speech, and just how much Ash truly appreciates both him and Bianca with those words. Cheren closed his eyes a bit as he took in a deep breath to calm himself, before moving to take some string out of his bag and begin to strap the Key Stone into a makeshift wristband on his left arm, as he had opened his eyes and looked rather tearful.

"Ash... how selfless you are to everyone here; it's something no friend could ask for more than anything..." Cheren admitted, as he carefully shook hands with Ash reassuringly as Bianca moved to quietly hug and kiss Cheren sweetly, as Iris cheered and Misty smiled warmly towards Ash's gesture; even N himself was smiling even if he hadn't known these three anywhere near as long as Ash has known Cheren and Bianca for.

Hilbert, looking over towards the group, smiled happily from out of direct view as he could see they were all feeling happy for various reasons.

"That was so sweet with what you decided to do for them by giving Latios off like that, Hilbert." The brunette girl spoke up towards Hilbert as she smiled warmly, causing Hilbert to blush faintly as he rubbed the back of his head in nervousness.

"Well, what can I truly say, Hilda? I had to do something to begin to make up for what had nearly happened between myself and Ash..." Hilbert said to Hilda, as Hilda quietly punched his shoulder in an affectionate gesture all the while giggling a bit.

"Well, at least it's in the past now from what I'm seeing." Hilda said to Hilbert, as Hilbert smiled, but blushed even more once he noticed Hilda was offering her hand for him to take. "Mind coming along with me for a while?" Hilda asked Hilbert, as Hilbert looked Hilda straight in the eyes and found himself blushing further, but nevertheless regaining confidence as he looked towards her and took her hand; letting Hilda lead him out of the cafe and outside, all the while Ash's group was soon finishing up with their meals, paying whatever bills were remaining for their stay, and beginning to walk towards outside.

Once the six were out, Ash called upon Zekrom as N called upon Reshiram; Iris called upon Latias as Misty got onto Latias' back with Iris in front, as Cheren called out Latios and got on his back with Bianca carefully getting on behind him. Iris looked over towards Cheren with a confident look.

"Ready?" Iris asked, as Cheren nodded.

"MEGA EVOLUTION!" Iris and Cheren both called, both of them moving to tap their respective Key Stones as the Mega Stones on Latias and Latios began to surge and encased them both in spheres of immense energy, before breaking apart to reveal near identical, more twin-like Mega Evolved Legendary Pokémon, with Mega Latias having orange eyes compared to Mega Latios' red eyes. As Cheren looked towards Mega Latios' head, he moved to carefully pet Mega Latios behind its ears as Mega Latios let out an echoing, cooing sound, before both Mega Latios and Mega Latias were given the command to fly off into the air, with Ash and N following behind as Ash took the lead in front of the group with N staying behind everyone with the two Eon Legendary Pokémon staying to the sides as Ash took off with Zekrom into the horizon leading to Icirrus City first, followed by Mega Latios with Cheren and Bianca, Mega Latias with Iris and Misty, and then lastly Reshiram with N.

As Hilbert watched from a tall hill in Mistralton City's outskirts with Hilda with him, Hilbert watched the six fly off with their Pokémon happily as Hilda cheerfully hugged Hilbert's arm with her arm, causing the boy to blush immensely as snickering was heard behind them as Alain could be seen approaching cheerfully.

"I guess that means I'll have to walk with you two to Icirrus City then." Alain said, as he stood behind the duo with his hands on one of their shoulders in a sort of embrace, before being taken by surprise as Alain's Charizard approached from behind and nearly tackled all three into a large, more powerful embrace as he cheerfully let out a deep, rumbling growl of happiness towards the three as they had laughed a little bit to themselves.

Tempest, meanwhile, had deliberately stayed behind just in case anybody had seen him for what he truly was in appearance and their memories needed erasing because of that. Once the coast was clear, though, he ditched the cloak hiding himself as he began to glow with an intense energy as various particles appeared around himself.

"Tempest, Warp Evolution!" Tempest called, as the particles surrounding Tempest encased around him into an oval, which grew in size and shattered to reveal the metallic, wolf-like canine that his default form typically was.

"MetalGarurumon!" Tempest called, before suddenly jumping up onto the sky as the metallic wings on his back unfolded entirely as rocket-like extensions to them surged energy from behind to allow him to take off into the horizon just short of where Ash and his group of friends were flying on their own path to Icirrus City.

_**Meanwhile...** _

As Regulus and Cosmog were both heading to the sanctuary in Unova, they were greeted by Arcturus along the way.

"How did it go?" She asked her son, as Regulus maintained a serious look.

"Ash knows much more about aura than he had prior to me leaving him, but the fact he knows Aura Blitz absolutely scares me." Regulus told Arcturus, as she nearly did a double take there in response to that answer.

"HE LEARNED HOW TO USE WHAT?!" Arcturus yelled in surprise and partial fury, as the two Lucario were interrupted and taken by surprise when they heard chuckling entering the vicinity; as its aura would show up to them in the familiar, eerie form of Mewtwo. Mewtwo, hovering in the air, steps onto the ground above from where they both stood with absolute grace; hauntingly standing in place and motionless with a foot forward slightly, arms spread and hands open as Mewtwo gazes down upon the two Lucario and infantile Legendary Pokémon to be with interest.

"Oh? So that's how he did that... I'll have to remember that for later, but first..." Mewtwo interrupted itself, before jumping down from the platform and onto the ground where Regulus and Arcturus stood, before taking the both further by surprise as Mewtwo bows before the mother and son duo, all the while Cosmog obliviously chirps happily, all the while Regulus and Arcturus both looked concerned, partially revolted by Mewtwo's presence, but at the same time, uncertain as to how to properly react to its arrival again.

"Then please, if you insist on keeping my attention away from any potentially dangerous stuff regarding the humans; tell me more about this technique you call 'Aura Blitz'..." Mewtwo began to ask, only to see Regulus suddenly freeze up just before talking, as Arcturus froze in fear as she looked towards something that was behind Mewtwo. Mewtwo turned to face who this stranger was... but upon laying eyes on this freak of nature, Mewtwo's eyes widened in shock as to the fact Eidolon was just standing there.

Mewtwo made no sudden movements just yet, all the while Cosmog was oblivious to what was going on as Eidolon proceeded to speak; using Regulus' voice to do so this time around.

**"̧̡̀Y̶͠ó̧̢u͏̴͡ ͏̵͘a̡̛͞l̵͏l͜͡͝͠ ̸̡̨̢̕h̢҉̵͞ą̷̢͝v̶̛́͞ę̨ ̴̡͡͝͏ś̵͢͏ớ̕͢͠m̸̶͝e̴͢͜͝t̵̵͟h̢͜i̶͜͞͞ņ̢ģ̨̀͟͡ ̧̕͏̵́t̶͟ḩ̷͠a҉̶͞t̢̕ ̵͡b̴̕͡e̢̢l̸͢͞o̢̨̡̕͜n̷̡̧̕͢g̀́ş̧̕ ̴͘t̸̷́͡ǫ́͘͜͠ ̸͞҉m̧̀͡è.̢͢͏.̛͟͜.̀͜ ̧̡̛G̕͟͢I̡͟V̡̢͝E̢͟͝͠ ̶̷̛̀͜I͏̷̨͝͝Ţ̵̵ ̀̕͟B̡́͝͞͡Ą͘͏͝C̸̨̨̢K̶͘͏̸!҉̨̛͘͜"̶̸҉**

Mewtwo, meanwhile, simply didn't even bother in wasting time to immediately rush forward and punch Eidolon in the face with its left hand, causing several awakening emeras to generate in its blade looplet as Mewtwo tossed the extra two over towards Regulus and Arcturus. As both Lucario Mega Evolved into Mega Lucario, Mewtwo began to undergo Mega Evolution as well; however, upon emerging from the sphere of pure energy, Mewtwo's stature emerged as a larger, even more muscular form with a band of powerful muscle acting as a neck guard of sorts for Mewtwo's backside.

 **"͘.̕̕.̶̢͜.̶̨͟ ͏̸D͢͜o ͞͡҉y̵͏͜óu ̶t̵͘h͟į͡͞n̷̶̕k̨̕͜ ̸̡I̕͞͡'̷m̨ ͞҉e͘v͏̡̧e̴͟ń͜ ͝҉ŕ́e̶͠͝mot̵̕el̢y̕ ̵̡im̧p̸̢͟ŗ̛͜e̴̕s̷̛s̛͢͠ęḑ͢ ̶͜b͠͞y̴-҉̨"͜** Eidolon, however, was cut off by just how powerful of a crushing grip Mewtwo's hand had on the bastard's neck as Eidolon was beginning to shriek in panic as his face began to distort in appearance, just as Regulus and Arcturus jumped over towards the sides of Eidolon with their aim away from Mega Mewtwo X as they had began to charge their own aura up to their maximum ability before charging an immense sphere of energy in their hands. Mega Mewtwo X just stayed silent as Eidolon was still attempting to struggle, before Eidolon's white, blank face formed into the monochrome face of somebody else entirely.

**"...͜ I̵s it to͜o ͞mu͢ch̕ ̶to b̵eg ͞fơr ̸m͟erc͠y no͘w?"̸**

**"No."**

**"R͟ea̸llỳ?̡"**

**"No."** Mega Mewtwo X answered Eidolon, before both Regulus and Arcturus proceeded to both fire off Aura Storm upon Eidolon, heavily damaging the exterior black cloaked form of Eidolon before Mega Mewtwo X charged up energy in its right fist before letting go of Eidolon just long enough to suddenly slam its right fist clean into Eidolon's chest.

 **"͠Ń̢͡O̧͞҉̶T͏̡̕ ̵̢͘͢͡Á̶́̕Ş͘҉͝ ̨́҉̷P͠L̶̢̡͜͡A̶̷Ņ͡҉N̴̨̡̕͟È̸̀D́͡͞!̵͢͡ ̷̡̡́͟Ņ̷̕͘O̷͜͠҉T҉̕ ̛A̴҉̧S͞͠ ̶Ṕ̡͏̕L̡͞À̛̕͞N̨҉̧҉N̛̛̛Ȩ̴̨͠D̴͢!̷̶̛͘͜ ́͝N̛̛͜͜҉O̵͘͝Ţ̷̴͜ ̢͞͠A͘͢S̷̛ ̛̀P҉̸̧͘Ĺ̴̢A҉̶̷Ņ̕N͏̶͘Ę̵̛̀҉Ḑ͠!̶̧͟ ͏̴̛͠Ǹ̸͘͜O̷̸̢̡̢T̷͘͢͡͏ ̛҉̧A̢̢̕͜S̨͟҉̧ ̴͏Ṕ̕L̛̕͞͝Á̷̀͟N̢͟N̡̢É̕͞͝D̸̷̨́!̵̛͢ ̨̀͟N͏̨͡Ơ̷̵̕͡T̛͏́͞͞ ́͡A̸̴̧͞S̸̛ ̶̛҉P̵̀͞͝L̶̵̛A̷҉̨̧҉N͏͏̷̨̕N̨̛E̛͠D̢͜͟!̷̴̨"̡͟** Just as Eidolon ceased in his ability to so much as struggle properly as he began to surge with an explosive force of energy that was unable to be directly absorbed from his three attackers, Eidolon's body suddenly was sent skyrocketing into the sky at speeds that caused an immense downburst of air from Mega Mewtwo X's punch, before Eidolon's body was proceeding to burn up and vaporize the moment he was out of visible sight, and just afterwards, a visible twinkle in the sky was seen.

As Solgaleo arrived and too busy starring in absolute shock as to what kind of power it had just witnessed there, it looked down towards Mewtwo and both Lucario with a stunned expression all the while treading slowly as it did.

_**(... Did... Did you just punch Eidolon out of the universe?)** _

**"Yep."**

_**(EXACTLY as Arceus predicted would happen once Eidolon was done for here?)** _

**"Yep."** Mewtwo responded, as Solgaleo slowly moved to step back away from the smaller, but still incredibly powerful Legendary Pokémon, as Solgaleo moved to give a bowing gesture towards Mewtwo in response; in light of this, Necrozma emerged from a shadowy void to look at what had happened as well.

 _ **(Is it finally over...?)**_ Necrozma asked, its voice sounding rather terrified but noticeably hopeful and borderline cheerful.

 **"Yep."** Mewtwo said, as it reverted back to its original appearance as it chuckled as it watched as Solgaleo and now Necrozma were both bowing towards the Genetic Legendary Pokémon with absolute respect. "Finally, I can at last get some actual recognition among you guys." Mewtwo spoke to the two, as Regulus and Arcturus both chuckled in response.

 **"So, back to what I was trying to ask, Regulus..."** Arcturus was beginning to say as she had reverted back to normal alongside Regulus, as Regulus had merely blinked upon hearing his mother speak.

**"Yes?"**

"Did Ash seriously learn how to use Aura Blitz?"

"Yes."

"... What."

"I answered your question."

"What?!

"What is it supposed to be impossible for a human to survive Aura Blitz?"

"WHAT?! HE SURVIVED IT AS WELL?!"

"Twice, actually." Regulus answered, leaving Arcturus speechless as Regulus was too busy being amused by everything surrounding him; Mewtwo taking the stance of a complete narcissist who is just asking to have its face punched in, with Solgaleo and Necrozma giving Mewtwo praise over something he barely knew of in comparison, all the while Cosmog was completely oblivious to everything that was going on the entire time. Everything, at the moment, was simply rather priceless for Regulus...

... Until Arcturus decided to slap him to get his attention and thus begin chewing him out and asking various question as to what exactly it'll mean for Ash now that he's mastered a technique he should not have even survived yet alone learn in the first place...

_**At the outskirts of Icirrus City...** _

"Huh?" "The Kid" asked as he noticed Eidolon effectively being ejected from this universe in the form of a small star shining briefly in the sky, as he was quietly making a trek through the heavy snow in Icirrus City alongside Giselle behind him. Giselle, having missed the event in question, looked towards where The Kid was facing in confusion.

"What happened Billy? Did you see anybody fishy following us?" Giselle asked The Kid, apparently his true name being Billy, as Billy shook his head.

"No, nobody fishy looking following us to my house... Although... I did just get déjà vu from whatever I had just seen appear in the sky for a moment there..." Billy said, as he resumed walking through the deep snow towards his parents' home, as Giselle looked in the sky strangely and didn't seem to decide to question it further.

"By the way, the league isn't all that long away; should we tell your parents about them ordering for front row seating while we're here?" Giselle asked, as Billy shook his head no in response.

"Not really; my family has too much on their plate as it is, primarily past regrets if what they tell me about their pasts before I was born was anything to go by." Billy sad, as he opened the door to the very small household on the hill hidden from the rest of the town; a bell signalling to everyone inside that the door had opened as Giselle followed inside.

"Besides, there's also the fact that, well..." Billy began to say, as Giselle looked at him in a rather confused way; nobody appeared to be inside, aside from several different boxes filled with antiques and a small glass counter with various candy bars with green wrappings inside of the glass top of the counter. This room appeared to be a small shop, but it was uncertain if anybody even came here frequently or if it was just for decoration.

"That I'm kind of afraid they'll possibly draw too much attention to themselves." Billy said, as he called out a Poké Ball and let Arbok out from with it; the large, normally intimidating Cobra Pokémon moving to lay down in the corner after curling itself up in a comfortable bed behind the counter. Giselle still didn't quite get it just yet, though.

"Again, why would they be afraid of showing themselves?" Giselle asked, before Billy motioned towards a clean, but very old, pair of uniforms left hanging on the wall as a sort of decoration; white uniforms with a large, red capital R on a part of the chest of each uniform, as portrait of Billy's parents when they were younger were visible with the two of them wearing black uniforms and visible with blue bordering purple and red bordering pink hair respectively on each of the two otherwise indistinguishable figures in frame.

"... Oh..."

**To Be Continued...**


	60. Chapter 59: 5 Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A foreboding presence shrouds the Pokemon World as a deadline for disaster is put into motion should things go too horribly wrong...

This place; this time; this is not the setting you're used to, as far as you can tell.

It was quiet in the foreboding, unknown void of a room that was hidden from much of the world, or even to time itself. In the room, manifested large, imposing guards of a humanoid structure as they walked along in their armored forms, carrying with them what appeared to be a prisoner of sorts.

Barely coughing for air, the robed, blank yet illuminated faced prisoner was keeping quiet as he looked up ahead towards a stranger in a similarly dark, robed figure and wearing a mask to conceal its eyes. The guards, meanwhile, stopped before him, before forcing the prisoner onto his knees and pinned to the ground.

"̕…̸ ̡You̴ kn̨o͡w ̨how̕ t͡h͠is͜ ̨i̡s͟ ͝go͟inģ to͟ ̕be̷g͞in, y̶ou҉ k͞no̴w th͡a͢t́,́ co̵rrec̢t?" Eidolon spoke, as his voice was clear and easily distinct compared to how he sounded before.

"…" The figure before him was silent; as short as the figure stood to simply gaze at Eidolon face to face with the latter forced onto his knees, the figure was unable to be seen through the pitch blackness of his hood's face, which only showcased eyes as red as blood through them.

Eidolon was not pleased with the stranger's answer, though; he knew that he did not exactly get the reaction he desired just yet; all Eidolon did at the moment was simply begin to chuckle endlessly.

"Yo͢u'r̨e ̨n͏o͜t ͡th̵e one̛ ̡I'҉m ͜uśęd͟ ́to ͝se͘ęi̸n̶g͟, a̛r͠e̸n'́t̶ ̸yo̧u?͟ ͟You'͢r̀e ͜n͢ot̷ ͢the͏ ̛so͝n ̀o͞f ҉'́G̕'͜,̷ bu̷t rather, y̸o̕u'r̕e ye̢t͟ ̵an̸ot͢he̶r͠ ͏i͘m̶it̡at̡i̛on̡ o̢f͠ t͘he͘ s͟o̴n̵...͢ H͠oẁ ḿan͜y͠ ̸o̶f̡ y͘ơur̛ k͞i̛nd̢ ͝n̢e̡e̷d͟s t̨o̴ ̡e̸x̴i̢st͏?"̴ Eidolon spoke, as the small, child-like figure remained quiet yet again; at this point, the figure began to walk away.

"Seal him up again; I'll have the others judge him properly; I've seen enough here alone to make up my mind." The figure spoke, his voice youthful but having a rather matured sound to it all the same. The guards, moving to lift Eidolon back up and walk away with him out of the room, quickly disappeared into shadows all the while Eidolon's chuckling soon turned into a daunting laughter as he was dragged further away.

The figure, meanwhile, simply walked towards a glass device that summoned forth two panels for holographic screens; showcasing to the figure data on two familiar subjects, those being Flare and Tempest. The figure looked as to their active status; Tempest was still doing his job as per expected, but Flare has yet to appear again and has been, for the third time according to the records, captured and corrupted again by Ghetsis.

"… This guy… baffles me at times like these…" The figure spoke, as he summoned forth a third screen of information; detailing a very small, near 8 inch tall humanoid robot with dark blue primary armor and a lighter blue with white armor on the limbs, and alongside the numerous, crystalline lights on parts of the body, the head was of a humanoid shape with fiery red "hair" and a visor covered face.

[Enter permission codes.] The figure was prompted, as the figure moved to type in some numbers and letters through the glass device with just his left hand alone.

[Permission authority class; UD; access granted for assigning a special agent to a mission. Are you sure you wish to issue the agent Ray 01 on this mission?] The computer's voice asked from the figure again; the figure paused and remained quiet and still. He was silently, but heavily, breathing to keep his composure stable.

The figure stood there and waited in stillness; it was uncertain with how it felt due to the ominous silence, only broken with the "voice" of Eidolon piercing the room…

"Ca̢n'͟t ͏m̷ak͟e ̕up̴ your m͜i͡nd́, I ̨s̛e͞e̶?̧ P͜redic̛t҉a̛ble; yoù can'̶t̨ ͡evęn b̶e̴ b͠ot̀h͠er̀èd͝ t̢o ac͝tuàl̢l̡y k͞i͢ĺļ ͞m͝e ąnd ̴e͘n̸d ̵thi͏s̡ he̸re͞ ánd̕ ҉n̶ow̸, a͞ft̡e̸r̶ ̵all͡.́ ͘T̀h͠at̸'̶s͜ wh͞at ͏w̕e both ̡d̴es̶i̷re҉, ͠isn͢'t ҉i̡t?" Eidolon spoke through the figure's mind, as the figure's breathing became heavier and more audible.

"You and I know the very reason why I can't go through with that; you only want to die because you know exactly what'll happen afterwards." The figure retorted to Eidolon, as Eidolon's chuckling could be heard.

"͝St̡ubbor̛n às̛ ͝al̵wa̧y͝s͞, C͜hròn͘i͜cler͘…͏ Y͟ou re̕a͡l̵ly͜ ju̴s҉t̴ l͠o̡ve͏ ͟to ̕m͡e͞śs ̴wit̴h ̧ṕe͟o͝p̀le̵, d́on'̨t̵ ҉y͘ou͏?̷"

"… Shut up…"

"A̶dm̶it ìt a҉l͝r̛ead͢y; ̧yo̷u alre҉a͜dy͞ ́m̸a͢de ͜t̡h́ís clear̨ to͝ ̡ev͏er͢yo̡ne̛ y̶o̶u k̷n͟o̴w, ͘so̴ ̀t̶he͜ŗe͠ isn͏'͟t҉ ̡a ͘p͏oint ́i̛n ḩi̡din̴g ̴i͏t͘ ̢àny fùrt҉her!͡"

"SHUT UP!" The figure, under the unusual name of Chronicler, yelled towards Eidolon. This time, however, Eidolon did not respond, but rather, a quiet, soft intrusion of another figure entered the room.

"Are… Are you alright, Lord Chronicler…?" The figure asked Chronicler, with a tone of sincerity and grace that made Chronicler shiver a little bit, as he looked back towards the figure, before gazing back at the screen with a heavy sigh.

"… Tempest, I'm giving you five days to resolve this issue; don't screw this up!" Chronicler yelled towards the screen, before slamming the confirmation button on the glass panel as the entire room shook with Chronicler's fist slamming the device. Everything had gone eerily silent afterwards aside from the ticking of a timer that had just begun as a result of Chronicler's decision.

[Deployment of the Black Ops agent Ray 01 has begun; arrival is to be expected within five Earth days from now.]

"I'm sorry, Tempest; I wish I can truly help you with a soon to be crisis developing as it is; I can't help you when there isn't even myself to help you to begin with…." Chronicler began to speak, as the room was still silenced by Chronicler's sudden decision, as its figure slowly faded from view and startled the feminine figure behind him, all before he suddenly began to vanish into thin air; flickering in and out of existence.

"I don't even properly exist yet; how can I help you with that in mind?"

_**Twist Mountain, in the air…** _

Tempest was busy flying through the air; practically running through the air during his flight movement as well. All the cybernetic wolf could think of right now was the fact Flare was still nowhere to be found on his radars.

"Damnit! I'm wasting too much time around this universe to retrieve Flare and get us both back home! What even are the intentions of Ghetsis anyways?!" Tempest asked himself as he flew through the air, as Tempest looked down at an incoming signal; from what he could tell, it wasn't Flare…

… But a Genesect would still give him the answer he was hoping for regardless. Tempest didn't waste time in rushing forwards and opening up a hidden part of his chest cavity right in aim of the flying Genesect.

"Garuru Tomahawk!" Tempest shouted as he fired the missile out of his chest, before realizing the Genesect vanished into thin air upon the nearing point of impact. "What?!" Tempest yelped as he realized he missed somehow, only for him to suddenly feel a jolt of pain as he felt a powerful kick into his back forcing him to crash into the ground.

As Tempest slowly moved to rise up from the rocky terrain he crashed into, he hollered upon feeling a sharp, foot-like claw slam into his front paw so swiftly as Tempest growled and barked towards the attacker the mere instant he saw who it was.

{Hello… Friend…} Geneshine chuckled, his glowing red carapace radiating in the snow covered hillside of this mountainous region. As Tempest growled still as Geneshine didn't budge, Geneshine quieted down a bit once it was clear it had Tempest's attention.

{You know what I want then, don't you? Just like how I'll be more than willing to answer your questions if you agree to it.} Geneshine spoke, as Tempest glared.

"What do you or Ghetsis even have in mind with the Ambassadors? It's clear you already know who we are…" Tempest silently spoke as he maintained his glare, all the while Geneshine chuckled.

{Oh I know alright; I won't be able to speak for myself aside from the fact I hate just about every other Pokémon around me, or the fact I, well, hate just about everything, but if you're wanting the answers on Big G, oh, well, just get a load of this cartoon character you're about to hear…} Geneshine spoke, as Tempest barked.

"Just get to the point." Tempest yelled, as Geneshine groaned.

{… Fine, killjoy. Basically because of your group's shared enemy Eidolon, the Ghetsis you are familiar with is actually not even from this timeline. You see, Ghetsis in his original timeline already won and acquired conquest of Unova… but he grew bored; he saw that he had power, but at the same time, he realized he had no actual power for himself…} Geneshine began to explain, as Tempest simply glared continuously still. {LIGHTEN UP, wolfie!}

"Well I kind of can't since you're standing on my foot…"

{Calm down you pansy, lemme finish first.} Geneshine barked back, as Tempest groaned in annoyance.

{Anyways… 15 years ago, the Ghetsis you know today found a way to creep into this timeline to begin his thirst for power; corrupting the minds of three robust males, he used their special powers to slip into this timeline and then proceed to kill his own counterpart as his first action here. The Shadow Triad you know today released the Pokémon they once had out into the outskirts of this world; none of them to be seen again until I encountered the traitorous Fire Type of the group in Nimbasa City.} Geneshine explained.

{Now then, I gave you the explanation; Ghetsis grew bored of regional domination, and desired to begin a new crusade to acquire vast power for himself and himself alone in a more literal sense. Any questions?} Geneshine asked as Tempest's jaws were steaming with a steam of a fiery yet cold air.

"… How did you know about the parts you weren't there for?" Tempest asked, as Geneshine blinked.

{… Uh… Um… Eidolon…?} Geneshine answered, as it noticed Tempest's charging attack. {What, in a hurry to attack me? Don't you usually have to speak what you're trying to use for a move before you can-}

Geneshine didn't have a chance to finish; a fiery, yet frost-like breath of energy blasted Geneshine directly as the blast of fire-like ice sent the Paleozoic Pokémon into the air and causing some of its joints to lock up on contact. Tempest grinned as Geneshine was shuddering from the conflicting burning yet freezing feeling it got from the attack.

{I…! You…! Ugh…!} Geneshine was quick to collapse out of sight and down onto the ground below as he felt into the snow unconscious. As Tempest moved to open his missile pores to try and attack, he checked his scans to determine that he was running low on energy and because of Geneshine, some of his parts were damaged as a result.

"… Ugh… At this rate I won't even be able to reach him yet alone kick him while he's down…" Tempest muttered, as he moved to try and stand. "Degenerate, Garurumon!" Tempest spoke, as his body glowed with an intense light, as his appearance took on that of a much more organic wolf with zero metallic parts, a very lengthy tail, and a large, robust appearance with feather-like tuffs of fur sticking of the back of his head and spots like his shoulders and backside.

"There, that should hopefully solve injuries…" Tempest spoke, as he looked down at his paw to see it was still injured from Geneshine's attack. "… Most of them, anyways…" Tempest spoke, softly, before he began to limp off and out of the way of anybody who could potentially see him.

"Hey!" Hilbert's voice could be heard as he, Hilda, and Alain approached Tempest and noticed his weakened condition; Tempest merely growled to himself as he knew that his co-workers would not be happy with him about this so far, as he thought of how exactly he was going to deal with these three humans…

… Before his own mind decided a course of action on his own as he fell onto the ground unconscious. As Hilbert moved over towards Tempest's wounded paw, he moved his bag to the side to grab some quick but sturdy bandages it, all the while Hilda grabbed from her bag a large mat with ropes connected to the corners of it.

Alain, sending out his Charizard, flew upwards into the air a tad bit as Alain, Hilbert, and Hilda all lifted Tempest onto the mat as the ropes were connected to the bottom side of Charizard's saddle gear. With Tempest secured, Alain looked at Hilbert and Hilda and sighed.

"… Looks like we'll be having to do this the hard way…" Alain said, as he moved his hand to tap the Key Stone on his Mega Ring, causing Charizard to surge an encase itself in energy before blasting out of the sphere as its dark black and blue colored, Mega Evolved form. Hilbert, though, was quick to look at Alain.

"… I'll fly; I don't want to risk either of you two getting hurt while we head to the Icirrus city." Hilbert offered, as Alain sighed.

"If you insist, just be careful with Charizard's flight gear, alright? I'm more worried about you falling off from it if anything goes wrong." Alain told Hilbert, as Hilbert jumped up to grab onto Mega Charizard X's back, as Mega Charizard X's powerful arms moved to grab hold of Alain and Hilda while they secured themselves to the ropes on the mat.

"Be careful, Hilbert…" Hilda spoke up, as Hilbert grabbed hold of the handles on the back of the saddle and nodded down to the two of them.

"Alright; hold on tight!" Hilbert spoke up, as he steered Mega Charizard X up into the air, noticing how even with Mega Charizard X's increased strength that it was having trouble with lifting all four of them at once. "Come on come on…!" Hilbert silently muttered, Alain slowly looked up towards Hilbert in shock as Hilda looked towards Hilbert as well as her eyes widened a bit as to what she was seeing.

By the time Mega Charizard X gained the strength necessary to fly off towards Icirrus city, it didn't realize it right away, but Hilbert was now focusing a strange power to enable Mega Charizard X to have the strength to carry them all.

"Come on, give it all you've got!" Hilbert called, as his body ignited in a plume of blue, fire-like waves as his eyes turned gold from the surging energy from himself. As Mega Charizard X roared before flying off, it moved as fast as it could to hurry up, but also slow enough to where it wouldn't risk anybody falling off.

As they were flying off towards Icirrus city, though, the traveling group were being watched from a taller mountain by a shiny, female Lucario.

 _((… Hmmm… This is news to me. I'm certain Arcturus will be excited!))_ Sol spoke up, as within seconds Arcturus, Regulus, and Mewtwo rushed up behind her at all once.

"I don't believe you." Arcturus answered.

"I can't believe you." Regulus muttered.

"And I don't care." Mewtwo responded.

 _((I care, though…))_ A fifth voice spoke up as taking much longer to approach was an elderly, female Lucario that was approaching the scene; very aged and with whitened eyes, she seemed rather intrigued by the amount of aura she felt pulse from Hilbert.

 _((To be honest, Regulus had jumped the gun too soon by saying Alain was capable of using Aura as he did with Ash.))_ The elder spoke, as Regulus groaned.

"Yeah and look where that turned out; glad I'm actually taking action for that?" Regulus spoke, as Sol growled towards Regulus.

"You are such an ass to all of us at times you know that right?!" Sol barked towards her mate, as Regulus looked back at her with a cheeky grin.

"As if I'm even needing to try."

"CAN WE FOCUS!" Arcturus yelled back as Mewtwo turned over to gaze towards an explosion off in the distance towards where Geneshine had crash landed.

'… _Good lord the persistence in that bug…'_ Mewtwo thought to itself, as the elder quietly walked off by herself as Regulus and Sol glared at each other all the while Arcturus went with her mother to escort her to Icirrus city.

Back to Geneshine's perspective, the smoldering remains of Genethunders was clear and distinct as Geneshine removed the Shock Drive from its own "sibling", before snickering a little to itself before crushing the Shock Drive open and revealing small, luminescent crystal inside of it. As Geneshine's chest cavity opened up to reveal the Looplet that Mewtwo had shoved inside of it, inside was already a similar crystal filling one of the device's sockets, as now Geneglacia and Genethunders now had their crystals now a part of Geneshine's being.

Closing the chest cavity it had containing the device, Geneshine suddenly sparked with raw power for a brief moment as Geneshine let out a robotic, cicada-like buzzing noise before suddenly jumping into the air; folding up into its flight mode, before zooming off into the horizon.

_**Icirrus City…** _

As Ash, Cheren, Iris, and N arrived with their respective Dragon Type Legendary Pokémon as mounts, some of the locals stood in awe as the group of six arriving gave an impressive sight to behold as Ash got off of Zekrom and returned it to its Poké Ball, as Ash was quick to walk inside to the Pokémon Center in an odd bit of a hurry.

"Where's he going so fast?" N asked, as Bianca shrugged.

"Well so far out of all of us, he's the only one aside from Misty and possibly Iris who has more than six Pokémon." Bianca pointed out, as Iris gasped in surprise.

"ACK! I almost forgot!" Iris yelped as she jumped off of Mega Latias' back and rushed inside as well, with Misty having Mega Latias calm to revert her Mega Evolved state as Latias was back to normal as Misty followed her girlfriend inside as well to see what was up. Cheren and N merely stared towards each other in confusion, before it suddenly dawned upon Cheren as to what the worry was about.

"Oh goddamn it…" Cheren said as he returned Mega Latios to his Poké Ball and quickly ran into the Pokémon Center, as Bianca followed in return because she already could tell from Cheren's tone what the issue was.

 _ **(You effing failures!)**_ Victini shouted from the VR Ranch in the Pokémon Center's PC on Ash's end of the conversation. Meanwhile, silently staying in a corner was a rather large, hexagon scaled serpent trying to hide itself despite the black and green scales it had constantly having a semi-glowing effect to them.

"Now Victini, hold on a sec, we all can explain and-"

 _ **(More like I'm curious where you suddenly grew the balls to decide to catch just about EVERY Legendary Pokémon in Unova with your group alone. The only ones missing out on the party are Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta, and Genesect, but I highly doubt we'll ever see the latter join the party any time soon!)**_ Victini shouted towards Ash, Iris, and Misty as they were directly in view of the screen.

"Now Victini, why are you so mad at us? Haven't there been numerous successful catches of Legendary Pokémon in the past? What's new here?" Iris spoke up, as Victini stuttered a bit in response.

 _ **(I… You…!)**_ Victini tried to bring up, only to realize Iris has a fair point considering the obvious regarding how things had progressed with all of them so far _ **. (Ugh… Forget it; at least do me a favor and stay absolutely as far away from Ghetsis as possible at this rate.)**_ Victini spoke, as Ash shook his head on this one to Victini's shock.

"No; if he's as evil as N has told me, he needs to be stopped; I'm not going to let someone so vile get away with his crimes." Ash told Victini, as Victini looked shocked.

(Look, Ash, I understand you being the Hero of Ideals and all, I get it by this point; that doesn't mean you should be stupid about it.)

"As if staying away and doing nothing only for it to get worse is the better idea…" Ash brought up, as Victini faltered a bit before groaning.

 _ **(… Alright, I can see, that I will have to teach you something for once, but first, I kind of demand to take part in your next Gym Battle.)**_ Victini spoke, as Ash sighed a bit as he knew this would be inevitable.

"… Alright, I can agree to that much at least." Ash spoke, as he grabbed hold of his Poké Balls from his belt as he placed them onto the PC transfer machine to bring up images of Raichu, Mega Lucario, Samurott, Krookodile, Zekrom, and Landorus. Checking the PC controls, Ash moved to place Landorus into the VR ranch, and then placed Victini back into his own party. This, however, is when Krookodile spoke up.

' _Swap me for Cobalion.'_ Krookodile spoke, as Ash blinked in surprise.

"… Why?"

' _It wishes to speak with the others.'_ Krookodile spoke. As Ash thought about it, he sighed as he used the controls on the PC to swap Krookodile out for Cobalion. Once a confirmation screen popped up for Ash, he hit the confirmation button to have the Poké Balls containing Krookodile and Landorus swapped into the PC and manifesting were the Poké Balls for Cobalion and Victini respectively.

As Ash sighed as he made room for Iris to check the PC in addition to Misty, Ash called out Cobalion as the large, Iron Will Pokémon stood before him with a serious gaze.

' _You have a lot ahead of you, Ash; are you sure you don't want to rest before you begin?'_ Cobalion spoke to Ash, as Ash sighed.

"Well, truth be told, I don't want to feel like I'm holding everyone back even if they insist on waiting for me…" Ash said to Cobalion, as the Legendary Pokémon closed its eyes.

'… _You need some time alone with Iris and Misty I recommend; the former has something she'll want to talk to you about.'_ Cobalion spoke, as a loud thud was heard at the door as it turned around to see Terrakion and Virizion having forced themselves out of their Poké Balls and having rammed into each other trying to get inside to Cobalion.

' _Boss, we've got trouble; further north towards the East!'_ Terrakion told Cobalion.

' _You mean… Keldeo's den is under attack?!'_

' _An intruder has made its way into Keldeo's territory; Ash's Lucario already broke free of its Poké Ball rushing off ahead screaming something called an 'Ultra Beast' towards the cloudy winter skies ahead.'_ Virizion spoke up, as Cobalion's eyes snapped open as he looked over towards Ash, as Ash had rushed outside and immediately tossed out the Poké Ball containing Zekrom; unleashing the Deep Black Pokémon out into view as Ash jumped onto its back and flew off towards the direction Virizion had mentioned.

'… _That was fast…'_ Cobalion spoke up, as Cheren and Bianca looked stunned as to how quickly Ash reacted to that. Misty was quick to immediately withdraw a Pokémon from the PC in the form of a Pidgeot, quickly taking it outside with her and rushing off to follow Ash in hot pursuit. Cheren and Bianca, realizing how serious this was beginning to get the mere instant they saw how dark the sky was getting, both rushed outside as Cheren called out Latios and both he and Bianca jumped onto his back as Latios flew off into the air.

' _Hold on you four!'_ Cobalion said as Terrakion and Virizion moved to charge towards the location in question, as Cobalion followed in pursuit before catching up to where it was in the lead. N walked inside to meet up with Iris, having noticed how concerned she was when the weather got weird the last time and decided to stay here for her sake.

As Alain's Mega Charizard X flew into range of the Pokémon Center, Hilbert rushed inside as he approached the counter to see Nurse Joy.

"Hello and welcome to the Pokémon Center, how may we- OH MY LORD!" Nurse Joy gasped in absolutely horror as to how both Tempest and Mega Charizard X were both covered in so many wounds that both of them were visibly bleeding from whatever had caught them off guard during the former's transport. As Hilda and Alain walked inside, both of them shared equal levels of injuries as they both collapsed once safely inside.

"… Iris, I'm going to need your help with getting everyone here in good condition again." Nurse Joy finally spoke up as the shock wore off from the sight, as Iris nodded as N looked towards Hilbert.

"We'll help as well!"

_**Moor of Icirrus…** _

As Altair arrived to the scene first as the sky was turning pitch black, he arrived first to see a portal of some webbing sort of material appear in the sky, as a appearing from it was a large, five legged, six "armed" creature with a set of jaws its head wore as a helmet as the creature had an armored body consisting of gray and orange colors over much of the body.

As a smaller, blue maned, unicorn-like Pokémon approached Altair without fright of Altair's increasing aggression, the much large pentapedal life-form landed on the ground with a loud crash, before letting loose an absolutely alien noise towards where Altair and the mysterious Pokémon stood.

" **Keldeo, correct?"** Altair asked the Pokémon beside him, as the Mythical Pokémon nodded in response without uttering a sound.

" **Good; now get out of here!"** Altair said as he rushed forward the pentabedal creature which in turn moved at a surprising amount of speed forward before using its six arms like a single pair of arms as it used the blade-like arms as individual claws to attack Altair with; even as Altair felt the impact of the attacks, Altair charged a sphere of aura in his hands before blasting at the mysterious attacker with numerous spheres of aura sending it backwards in movement.

As the creature "roared" again, it positioned its six arms together as from the tips of them fired a beam of fiery energy towards Altair, as Altair was blinded by the sheer intensity of the flames striking him, before the ominous life-form suddenly lost focus and began firing off beams of fire towards the rest of the wetlands surrounding them and setting the local plant life on fire, as it as soon as Altair regained his focus, the first thing he did was punch the life-form in the "head" and cause the entire creature's head to flip to facing backwards, before immediately repositioning its own head back towards Altair just as quickly.

" **Why are you doing this, Ultra Beast?!"** Altair yelled towards the life-form in fury, just as the weather suddenly invoked a large, powerful storm of rain down to the ground as the fire started by the Ultra Beast being put out by Misty's Primal Kyogre entering the scene, as Misty herself rushed forward while on Pidgeot's back as Pidgeot suddenly unleashed a powerful gale of winds onto the Ultra Beast, as Ash arrived on Zekrom as he jumped off of the Deep Black Pokémon's back while still a good distance in the air as Ash's body immediately ignited into a bright, intense field of aura as both bright blue and dark black surges of aura emanated from Ash's standard dark blue aura.

The Ultra Beast looked intimidated by Ash's arrival, to say the least, but regardless moved to try and strike with its arms only for Ash to catch it off guard and Ash use his own aura to block the attack entirely.

As Ash grabbed hold of his Pokédex real quick to check on any basic information on this Ultra Beast, Ash began to formulate a plan to bring down the chaos that the Ultra Beast was posing. However, before he could act right away, the rain that was cleansing the fires had stopped due to Primal Kyogre suddenly being attacked and taken out by not one, not two, but three other Ultra Beasts which looked identical to the one that Altair was facing.

"… Misty, stay close!" Ash spoke up, as he grabbed hold of four Poké Balls from his belt as he moved to weigh his options on the mysterious life-forms these Ultra Beasts were; Ash, looking towards Altair, gave a nod as Altair moved to rapidly punch and kick the one right next to them into submission before Ash threw an ordinary Poké Ball at the UB, as the UB, to his surprise, actually got drawn into the Poké Ball as it landed on the ground and began to shake, just as Ash rushed towards the other three UBs with more specialized Quick Balls to throw at each of the three as well.

One shake, two shake, three shakes… *click*

With Misty stunned as she moved to withdraw Primal Kyogre back into its own Poké Ball, Cheren and Bianca arrived onto the scene as Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion were the last to arrive.

"What did we miss?" Cheren asked as Ash used his own aura to summon the three Poké Balls to his side and showcase to him what exactly were inside of them by letting out all four UBs in a bright flash of blue light. As the four UBs had calmed much noticeably than they were before, the four looked at each other then again towards Ash's group as the four of them lifted themselves up into the sky and vanished into the wormhole they had manifested from, in which the sky returned to normal in response.

Cheren was stunned, as was Bianca as she heard what the Pokédex had to say on the four UBs.

"Shrealibur, the Terra-Sword Ultra Beast Pokémon. Its six arms are specialized in properties that make Dragon Type Pokémon scales shred with ease upon mere contact with them. Its armored legs, despite their bulk, allow for the Pokémon to attain great speeds and maneuverability. Despite their appearance and behavior suggesting a Fire Type, they are actually Ground Type." Bianca's Pokédex finished explaining as to what the Ultra Beasts that Ash had caught temporarily were.

As Misty's Pokégear rang, she picked it up to see a message from Iris telling her and the others to get back to the Pokémon Center as soon as they had the chance. Misty, though, looked towards Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo with a different expression than normal.

"… You're all leaving, aren't you?" Misty's voice could be heard saying, but Misty herself didn't seem to actually say anything but nevertheless, the mere sound of her voice took Cheren and Bianca by surprise as Ash's eyes widened as he looked over towards Cobalion.

"… This is where you four live, isn't it? Then it can't be helped, I suppose…" Ash said as he moved to grab a hold of the Poké Ball used for Cobalion, as Cheren and Bianca did the same for the Poké Balls they had used for Virizion and Terrakion respectively.

' _It would be wise that the three of us make our leave back into the wild; knowing the Ultra Beasts have been disturbed by something, it would be unwise for us to leave Keldeo on its own any longer.'_ Cobalion said to Ash, as Terrakion and Virizion nodded.

' _We didn't do an awful lot together, but we don't appreciate you any less for that; us being near you simply allowed us to learn how much has changed with humanity towards Pokémon.'_ Terrakion spoke. Misty didn't seem to be aware of it, but her Pokégear was actually still connected to Iris' Xtransceiver, which was in turn picking up on what the three Legendary Pokémon were saying.

' _There's only so long in which a human can live compared to the even longer lifespans of a Pokémon; we wish we could all stay by your side, but considering our roles as the Swords of Justice, it would not feel entirely right.'_ Virizion spoke up, as Keldeo moved forward to indicate it was about to speak its own words.

' _Ash, Cheren, Bianca; the actions of all three of you had proven to my masters as to the selfless behavior humans can truly have; you have taught them their lessons regarding the fact humans can change for the better when given the time.'_ Keldeo spoke, as Altair moved to return to Ash's side during all of this.

With a press of a button on the Poké Balls containing them normally, the seals on Cobalion, Virizion, and Terrakion were severed by Ash, Cheren, and Bianca respectively. As the Nuvema Trio nodded and gave a wave towards the three Legendary Pokémon and their younger, Mythical Pokémon associate, the four Swords of Justice Pokémon moved to rush off into the wilds further north and out of sight.

"… I'm actually going to kind of miss those guys…" Cheren said, as he was elbowed a bit playfully by Bianca as he gave a nervous laugh. Ash and Misty, meanwhile, moved over towards their own flying Pokémon as they landed to prepare to return back to the Pokémon Center again, to which Cheren responded by taping the Key Stone on his necklace to trigger Latios' Mega Evolution into Mega Latios, as both he and Bianca got on his back to get ready to fly off, as Ash got onto Zekrom's back with Misty on Pidgeot's back as the three flying Pokémon flew off back towards the southeast towards Icirrus city yet again.

Altair, though, deliberately stayed behind for a while since he and Ash both knew he would have no difficulty getting back on time, as Altair looked over towards where the sky was and then down towards the peace and tranquility of the winter wetlands. As Altair gave a bit of a relaxed sigh with a brief smile, he turned around and ran back to Icirrus city using his immense speed to stay on course with the others.

As Keldeo appeared in view where Altair was previously looking, it looked towards the other three Legendary Pokémon behind it.

' _You three could've stayed with them you know, right?'_ Keldeo brought up, as the Mythical Pokémon's words didn't exactly faze Cobalion out of the other three.

"Believe me, with what you sensed was ahead…" Cobalion said, as it paid attention to the position of the sun in the sky was the day was more than half over.

"We could not leave you alone for what we fear comes not long from now…"

**To Be Continued…**


	61. Chapter 60: Wolf in the Snow

"It's abnormal."

"It's lethal, more like it."

Regulus and Arcturus were having an argument; something which was not overly uncommon between these two when uninterrupted, but a more noteworthy topic was the subject of this particular one as Sol and the elder sat in the hut where Arcturus and Regulus were.

"She's been living her whole life in sadness knowing of what purpose she serves in the greater scheme of things, and you didn't choose to tell him about it when you very well had the chance to! WHY?!" Regulus yelled back towards Arcturus, as the older female didn't take too kindly to Regulus' words.

"Regulus if you had simply been raised when the rules would properly effect you than you would know this never concerned-" Regulus smashed his own fists together to cause a strong, piercing sound to hit the air as Sol and the elder both recoiled from the move, but Arcturus didn't even flinch.

"You're insane if you think that just because she doesn't know now it makes it absolutely okay with you, even after all of this time I've been back here?!" Regulus said as he stood up and began to walk out of the hut within the sanctuary, all the while Cosmog was blissfully unaware as to the conversation or seriousness of it at hand as it lay asleep outside.

Arcturus, moving to stay silent and still, didn't even bother looking over towards the baffled and somewhat distraught look on Sol's face. "Don't bother with him any further; he's a disgrace with what he's became as of late because of his interference with Ash's life. Literally all he did was give Ash a head start but didn't once think of the consequences of it." Arcturus informed Sol, all the while Sol shot her a glare.

"You're the one who's a disgrace for raising him so strictly in the first place! He wants to do what's right and he will do whatever it takes to screw with the rules to do so, and you know that! You've known that for far longer than any of us!" Sol snapped back, as Arcturus again didn't even bother flinching.

"In my day we didn't care for such humane things like Regulus seeks to change; he's foolish thinking he alone will be able to change the greater scheme already set into motion." Arcturus spoke, as she simply used her own piercing gaze with Aura to look at Mewtwo who was outside. "What chance do you think he has against this Eidolon, anyways?"

"I'd give it a good 60% give or take, but since I've known Eidolon far more than you folks ever have had to deal with him, I'd say we've got a guaranteed chance he'll decide to screw us over somehow." Mewtwo answered back, as Arcturus simply sighed.

"Great… He can't even find honor in defeat it looks like."

"I'm sorry when did this hut suddenly turn into glass?" The elder spoke up, earning a suddenly disgruntled look and growl from Arcturus as she turned to face her elderly relative. However, even Arcturus knew better than to even remotely defy what words the elder had to say whenever she spoke, so simply remained silent on the matter.

"Oh just admit it you had that one coming a mile away." Mewtwo chimed in as Arcturus growled more prominently before moving to stand and rushing out of the house and quickly zooming off with Extreme Speed to catch up to Regulus. In the skies visible from Mewtwo's end, it could see yet another wormhole beginning to form in the sky, though this one, oddly enough, seemed to quickly fade away from emerging completely.

"… Odd… The last time I've seen an Ultra Wormhole like that was…" Mewtwo thought to itself, before looking around and doing a long range scan on Bianca's Pokédex, and immediately picking up the information he needed to know about Shrealibur.

"… Oh shit… T-That's… That's not an actual Ultra Beast!" Mewtwo spoke, before suddenly holding its left arm outwards before punching itself in the gut with it to generate an Awakening Emera with the blade Looplet it wields. Using it to Mega Evolve and encase itself in a sphere of power. Shaping itself into a gracile, slender build with its own tail being shrunken entirely and a similar appendage forming from the back of its head, a crown-like protrusion, and shrunken down muscular mass. Shattering the sphere of energy with the DNA helix appearing above its head, Mega Mewtwo Y emerged and suddenly flew off towards the source in the sky where the Ultra Wormhole had appeared with immense speed.

"I'm not letting you get away a second time!"

_**Back at Icirrus City…** _

"So, you all are the challengers for my own gym I assume, correct?" The mysterious, quiet voice of a man not directly visible spoke from within the dimly lit gym of Icirrus City. Ash, Cheren, Billy, Giselle, Alain, and Hilbert stood ready to answer with a simple nod, while Misty, Iris, Bianca, N, and Hilda stayed off towards the side of things.

"Then you know what you need to do to get my trust before any of you may challenge me, correct?" The voice asked of the six, as the group looked confused with each other by what the man had meant.

"Well, if you don't know, let me start with you;" the voice began, pointing a shady hand towards Ash, "You're too fearless", before pointing to Cheren, "You're too fearful", then to Billy, "Insecure", and then towards Alain "Braindead.", Giselle next "Apologetic.", and then focusing on Hilbert "And you, are a complete and utter suck up." the voice finished. "All of you have issues with yourself that are keeping you from so much as focusing to be better people than who you are right now; I want you all to take the next day to think over things before coming to with a speech prepared as to what you believe are your own reasons why I should bother challenging you."

Once the voice was silent and absent, the six were suddenly ejected out of the gym's entrance and landing in various positions on the snow covered ground outside.

"The nerve of that guy!" Billy shouted as he picked himself up from the snow first, with Giselle following in pursuit.

"Just calm down, Billy; alright?" Giselle asked, as Hilbert got up and sighed, before looking over towards Cheren and helping him up.

"How's Latios treating you?" Hilbert asked, as Cheren got up after helping Ash alongside Alain to stand.

"Fine; kind of going to have to get used to the fact I have access to Mega Evolution now." Cheren said, as Alain blinked as he looked at him.

"You have a Key Stone as well?" Alain asked excitedly, as Ash looked over towards his cousin and nodded.

"I had given him the one I used originally." Ash whispered to Alain, as Alain look at him in confusion, before Ash called out Altair from his Poké Ball and showcased to Alain that despite everything that has happened, Altair was still Mega Evolved into Mega Lucario for some odd reason. Altair looked over towards Alain as his gaze unwittingly terrified Alain on sight.

"Ya know what? Eff it all for today! I'm heading to my parents for the day!" Billy spoke up as he began to storm off in a fit, all the while Altair rushed forward and looked at him in an unusual manner, as Giselle moved towards Billy's side to try and be protective of him, sending out a Pokémon from her belt in the form of a fully evolved Haxorus.

"Have something to say, Lucario?" Giselle asked, as Billy looked at Altair with a look of confusion.

" **How familiar are you wish Ash? I could've sworn I seen you somewhere before in a photo in Ash's house…"** Altair asked, as he pulled out a photograph tucked into his fur and showed it to Billy. In the photograph, Billy could see a purple haired man loving hugging his wife, a redhead with a curved, lengthy hair, and Delia, with both of the women in the picture holding a less than one year old Billy and Ash respectively.

Ash, walking over towards the scene, was stunned to see the photograph in question. "Wait, are you saying Billy is the Kidd's son? I could've sworn mom mentioned they had a daugh-" Ash said, as he froze up in his wording as both he, Cheren, and Alain looked over towards Billy with a suspicious, yet also baffled, gaze. Hilbert, Hilda, Misty, Bianca, Iris, and N simply looked at the group in confusion, as Billy flushed completely red as he felt exposed.

"Alright, alright; you got me; I'm a girl, so what?" Billy asked, as she looked over towards Cheren.

"Then why did you go to such great lengths to hide it…?" Cheren asked her, all the while the sound of a man screaming like a girl could be heard in the distance. Billy, recognizing the sound, rushed through the snow to try and get back towards her parent's house up the hill in the small city. Ash and Cheren looked at each other, as N walked over towards both of them and stopped them.

"Ash, follow me. Cheren, you stay and try and figure out why you guys were forced out of the gym. Zoroark?" N was giving commands, as Zoroark emerged from his Poké Ball in a sort of illusion projecting him out from it. "You wait for my signal." N ordered, as he rushed over towards where Billy was running off towards. Zoroark and Altair both looked at each other and rushed off at high speed, as Ash trailed behind in a hurry.

Cheren, as Bianca walked over towards him, was confused as to why N took initiative then and there, and why he insisted on going to check on things even if at least Ash already would've. Carefully grasping the Key Stone around his neck, Cheren sighed as he looked back towards the gym. "… Best we try and convince whoever is in charge to let us in."

"… I highly doubt he'll reason with you, kid." A dry, aged voice spoke as Cheren looked over and saw a male wearing almost entirely black; dressed in a police uniform, and having a dark red shirt underneath his buttoned coat, and wearing winter boots and gloves. Any other noteworthy traits were his oddly pale skin, grey hair, and red eyes.

Hilbert looked at the man with an odd glance, all the while Alain looked rather nervous at the sight of him. The man in question didn't really look intimidating, though; aside from the cigarette he had in his mouth, the man looked rather tired and seemed like he didn't want to be here. "Um… Nanu… I can explain…" Alain finally spoke up after an awkward silence, as the man simply glanced in his direction without even budging.

"You'd better; it's your fault I'm even here to begin with, but that may no longer be the case if this Ketchum kid is all I've heard Boss 'G' hype him up to be." Nanu said, as he didn't even have to turn around to notice somebody else in the general area. "Also, Tempest, don't even bother hiding; G himself is showing up to the Pokémon League in about 5 days, so at least you can do is drop the need to hide until he gives the order to vacate and such."

Tempest, hearing Nanu's words, walked out of his hiding spot in the snow; his paw bandaged up as he limped a little towards the scene, he didn't bother saying a word to Nanu just yet. Nanu didn't even gaze in Tempest's direction, all the while he looked over towards Cheren in particular of the group.

"So you're girl is already dropping out, do you plan to do the same?" Nanu asked Cheren, as Cheren stuttered a bit at the thought of dropping the Pokémon League. Cheren, however, took a moment to think about it considering all of the things he had to deal with so far between himself and his friends. Did he truly still stand a chance at the Pokémon League considering Ash's abilities?

"Not yet, sir." Cheren answered after a long pause. Nanu, however, didn't seem all that impressed.

"Good for you then." Nanu said as he looked over towards Bianca, "Do you still intend to not participate in the league? You still have a chance if you desire to." Nanu brought up to Bianca, as Bianca shook her head no. Nanu didn't have much to say, other than looking over towards where Ash and N had ran off towards, only to then focus his sight on Misty.

"And you; don't you have a gym you need to run back in Kanto?" Nanu asked Misty, all the while Misty was silent as usual regarding trying to answer. Misty didn't give a clear answer through her movements, but nevertheless looked down as she silently sighed.

_**At Billy's House…** _

"Houndoom, go!" A woman shouted as she had confronted a strange, three-legged, wolf-like beast with sharp spines and weapons mounted onto its body. The beast simply shrieked as it looked on towards the imposing, hellish Fire Type Pokémon before it. "Fire Blast!" The woman ordered, as the canine Pokémon, Houndoom, fired off a flower-like flame towards the unknown entity, as the entity took the hit as an explosion of fire shrouded itself.

"Arbok! Gunk Shot!" Billy yelled as she sent out Arbok, as her Cobra Pokémon fired out a gruesome, unsanitary blast of toxic material towards the mysterious beast in question. Altair and Zoroark rushed to the scene as Ash and N trailed behind.

" **An Ultra Beast again?!"** Altair yelled as he charged a sphere of aura in his hands. The three limbed beast, though, simply vanished into thin air before Altair could try and attack. Altair, shocked by how quickly the beast vanished, was just as surprised when the metallic and organic beast materialized behind him and struck him down in the back with its third, bladed limb.

Ash, about ready to grab a Poké Ball from his belt, was stopped by N before he had the chance. Zoroark, meanwhile, looked towards the Ultra Beast with a grin all the while Ash took the moment to try and scan it with his Pokédex.

"Zerkrion, the Jet-breaker Ultra Beast Pokémon. Its multi-limbed body is specialized with firing out massive amounts of projectiles against a single target. It has an odd similarity to Shrealibur's immunity to Beast Balls." Ash's Pokédex detailed, as N looked towards the Ultra Beast with his own eyes and seemed legitimately freaked out by what it was trying to say.

"It's in pain; it wants me to attack it… I can't… But I feel I have no other choice… Zoroark, prepare yourself!" N called as he glanced towards Zoroark, as Zoroark nodded as he became enveloped in a massive, dark flame that quickly turned a bright pink in intensity before Zoroark's body reshaped itself to a fluffier mane, coat on the arms and legs, and developing a more white mask akin to his human form in addition to the pink fur across his body.

"Warlord-Zoroark!" N and Warlord-Zoroark spoke up, as Warlord-Zoroark was quick to disguise itself through an illusion, taking Zerkrion by surprise as he transformed into Warlord-Emboar and delivered a powerful, giant punch against Zerkrion's single eyed head, sending the Ultra Beast flying backwards. As Warlord-Zoroark transformed again, this time into Warlord-Serperior as he charged an immense beam of energy in his head as Zerkrion moved to counter with a barrage of projectiles.

Firing off the beam of energy as Zerkrion continued to spam projectiles towards him, Zoroark dodged and transformed again, this time into Warlord-Samurott, and with the usage of the illusion projected seamitana, slammed Zerkrion up into the air as he repeatedly hacked and slashed away at Zerkrion, before sending it spiraling into the ground with one final strike.

N, realizing Zerkrion was harmed enough, moved to grab a Poké Ball off of his belt. "Poké Ball, GO!" N called as he hurled the Poké Ball at Zerkrion; drawing the Jet-breaker Ultra Beast into it.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

N, walking up to the Poké Ball and grabbing it, was quick to open the Poké Ball up and release Zerkrion on the spot. Zerkrion, panting a bit as it moved to stand again as if recovering all on its own, looked over towards N with a bit of confusion. N, smiling a bit happily, took out a treat from his pocket in the form of a Poké Puff, as Zerkrion ate the whole thing in only three bites. Zerkrion, feeling much more calmed down now, propelled itself into the air as it vanished through a wormhole.

Billy, sighing in relief, looked over towards N and Ash as she walked over towards the approaching Giselle and straight past the two males before her.

"Honestly I think these two should meet my parents, don't you think?" Billy asked Giselle, as Giselle smiled as she nodded.

"I do believe so." Giselle brought up, as N blinked.

"Who are your parents if I may?" N brought up, as he heard chuckling behind him as he turned and looked as three figures stood before him; one with lengthy red hair, one with near violet hair, and a Pokémon before them in the form of a tanned, coin spouting feline.

"Who are we, you ask?" The Pokémon spoke up.

"We normally don't greet people like this anymore…" The purple haired man spoke up with a calm tone.

"But for you all, we'll make an exception; prepare for trouble!" The redheaded woman spoke up with a faked sense of menace, but otherwise legitimate in sound.

"And make it double!" The man spoke up, as Billy rolled her eyes as Giselle was silently snickering.

"To protect the world from devastation!" The woman called out as her Houndoom roared ferociously, as did Billy's Arbok.

"To unite all people within our nation!" The man called out while twirling a rose and sending out a large, dark avian Pokémon wearing a fedora-like hat and overall looking like a mob boss, as well as a planetoid, purple colored Pokémon wheezing out a lot of toxic gas.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" The woman called as eventually the private show was joined in by Iris, Cheren, and Bianca.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" Misty could be heard recoiling a bit from the sheer blunt of what she had just walked over towards her to see for herself.

"It's Jessie!" The woman introduced herself.

"And James!" The man introduced himself.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" N nearly fell over upon hearing the name "Team Rocket".

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" The small, feline Pokémon introduced at long last. Ash, N, and everyone else for that matter aside from Billy and Giselle, were all dead silent without having much of a clue of how to react to this. Billy and Giselle, though, at least clapped their hands to cheer for the former's parents. Nanu and Tempest, meanwhile, walked over towards the scene as did Hilbert, Hilda, and Alain.

"Now then, if you guys are done being clowns by reliving the old days…" Nanu spoke up, as he tilted his head over towards a certain, absolutely livid, Ultra Beast in the form of Zerkrion.

"You missed one."

**To Be Continued…**


	62. Chapter 61: Spark in the Dark

Mega Mewtwo Y flew through the air towards where the Ultra Wormhole had opened up. Suddenly stopping in the middle of the sky, Mega Mewtwo Y powered down from its form and looked around cautiously. It had a wary feeling about its surroundings all of a sudden, as Mewtwo kept its guard up in case something had emerged and tried to sneak up upon it. What Mewtwo should've done, though, was look directly up; from the corner of the Genetic Legendary Pokémon's eye, the entire sky turned pitch black as a divine, heavenly light shined from the sky at an immense force.

"What is this madness… Who is it this time?!" Mewtwo questioned, as descending from the heavens appeared a shady figure in the form of an armored entity forged out a metal alloy so durable that the light around it caused it to turn pitch black in appearance. Only when the light began to fade as the being descended from the heavens, did the life-form's body become visible. Primarily consisting of a lot of dull grays in coloration, having striking, transparent blue eyes, and an icy blue mane of sharp spines and hairs, the entity hovered in the air as energy from the being caused the clouds to disperse into natural sunlight from above.

"Mewtwo… You already know what my son did, don't you?" The being asked, as its voice sounded masculine and slightly agitated; there appeared to be a slight interruption between its words, as it forcefully prevented itself from stuttering. Mewtwo, looking towards the entity with narrowing eyes in hostility, finally spoke up once he realized who it was looking at.

"Grandis… You're an arrogant worm showing yourself after your son callously ordered the extermination of all life on this planet; are you here to turn him in so I can make sure he does not repeat that mistake?" Mewtwo asked of the being, named Grandis, as Grandis simply looked at Mewtwo with a calm gaze before letting out a quiet, brief chuckle.

"Relax, Mewtwo, I've already taken care of things from behind the scenes; you honestly would expect I to give him authority over the Black Ops agents just yet?" Grandis spoke up, as Mewtwo maintained its hostile gaze.

"Why are you telling me this, Grandis. Your son never told me any of this before." Mewtwo spoke up, as Grandis' saurian shaped helmet unfolded with the skull pulling back and the jaw lowering onto chest plate, revealing a humanoid head contained within a synthetic air bubble with the human-like entity's mouth covered by some kind of breathing apparatus. Mewtwo shifted from hostile to concern at the look.

"Are you sick? Or can you simply not survive in this atmosphere in its current condition?" Mewtwo asked, as Grandis' eyes from underneath the secondary layer of his helmet shifted into hellish slits for pupils.

"Bitch you think that would concern me? I had to literally traverse between dimensions where no atmosphere even exists for me to breathe at all under normal conditions!" Grandis spoke up, as his helmet folded back into place with the saurian head shape it was designed for. "Mewtwo, let's face it; my son is suffering from the fact this is his first day on the job with a major disaster waiting to happen, and you're out to kill as if he deliberately knew what he was doing!" Grandis spoke, as Mewtwo folded its arms together.

"Grandis, you and I both know that your son is more troublesome than you think; the ambassadors never existed until he showed up one day as part of a paradox that occurred because of a situation breaking out in Sinnoh nearly four years ago, and I perfectly understand that Chronicler is new to the job, I get where you're coming from. You are, however, forgetting one key thing; I was never born with sympathy in mind for those who act before they think." Mewtwo spoke up, as Grandis sighed a bit.

"Look, Mewtwo, perhaps you're misunderstanding my son a little bit; sure he's 19, but you got to remember he has the mind of a child who was raised by-"

"A child who thinks sending two of the most dangerous types of Digimon known to mankind to a universe that can barely handle them is nothing to be concerned about! You may have the power limitation on Tempest, but the numerous attempts to break Flare's mind caused her power restraints to weaken over time the longer she stayed here! Are you so dense that you cannot comprehend of what'll happen if Ghetsis actually gets control of a Royal Knight because of her?!" Mewtwo shouted at Grandis as it began to question his logic, all the while Grandis maintained a relatively serious gaze.

"You're the King of the Ultimorian Deities; you have higher authority than Chronicler by absolute default. Start acting like it!" Mewtwo demanded of Grandis in a furious voice, as Grandis simply chuckled as he suddenly skyrocketed to ground level; upon landing, Grandis had left an immense crater where he stopped himself. Mewtwo simply flew downward and landed beside Grandis in a fit of rage, as Grandis was beginning to look even more serious now that his eyes underneath his visor-like eyes were unable to be seen.

"Mewtwo if you're asking for entry into the Ambassadors, that's not my order to give, so I suggest you back the hell off or else I'll strike down your hubris filled mind where you stand!" Grandis spoke up, as the energy circulating around his shoulders began to build up in an icy mist. Mewtwo's brow tightened as its own inner wrath was awakening.

"Grandis, how many times have I ever told you? I was created as the world's strongest Pokémon; those who have created me have succeeded! Do you seriously think I'm not prepared to handle a thrashing from the likes of you?!" Mewtwo yelled, before suddenly exploding an immense burst of energy which would've otherwise appeared to be a normal Mega Evolution; the explosion and its power as Mewtwo transformed, however, proved far stronger than any Mega Evolution could've ever been.

Emerging from the dust cloud of raw energy, Mewtwo stood with an armored, mask covered face, sporting a psychotic gaze with eyes that were magenta with black sclera pointed towards Grandis. The tube connecting to its back was joined by two others alongside it. Mewtwo's arms, already robust as they were, had much more developed hands fully capable of grasping something or someone while maintaining three digits on each, which were pointed with black crystalline structures. Mewtwo's legs, however, had beefed up in strength to match its robust arms, and its tail transformed into an incredibly thin veil that connected to its back; the very depths of space, much like with Solgaleo's and Lunala's eyes, could be seen within them. As the cape-like tails unfolded into wing-like structures, a triangular ray of light from each glowed a myriad of colors at once, as Mewtwo gestured towards Grandis to make the first move.

Grandis, charging forward with speed not normally seen from him, rushed forward to slam his right hand into Mewtwo's face, only for nothing more than raw energy surrounding Mewtwo to completely drive Grandis' fist to a dead halt; having not budged the moment Grandis had moved, Mewtwo maintained a deathly glare towards Grandis as Grandis looked legitimately freaked out by the display of power at hand. Grandis, jumping back several yards as his helmet unfolded to show his face again under the secondary layer, looked rather shocked as to Mewtwo's new form.

"How… How did you become this strong?! Did you hit the gym and never leave because you knew what would potentially happen?!" Grandis asked as his voice was breaking up; he actually sounded terrified of Mewtwo's unknown transformation. Mewtwo, simply chuckling in a deep, echoing voice, finally spoke up a good moment of silence.

 _ **"You fail to realize your son's irresponsibility even if he is young at heart and mind; do me a favor and never set foot here again until I give the command, and be sure to scold your son as to his behavior when the paradox from four years past has stopped trembling along the foundation all of our worlds." **_ Mewtwo ordered Grandis, as Grandis remained ominously quiet as his eyes narrowed after silence that seemed to last for eternity.

"… Fine. I'll bow before your hubris yet again, Legendary Mewtwo; heed my warning, though; you may already know this, but you know the actual reason why Flare was sent here to begin with, do you not?" Grandis asked, not even remotely sounding happy with these conditions.

 _ **"The fact you wanted her to murder a child and his pet Charizard in cold blood because of what happened in another timeline? If you think I'm going to let that happen, I'll kill Flare if I have to tear my way through anything that bothers to get in my path to ensure none of Ketchum's friends are harmed in any way."**_ Mewtwo spoke, as Grandis remained quiet for the moment.

"Then you know what you must do then regarding Ghetsis; you and I both know Ash wouldn't voluntarily kill him if he had any actual input on the matter." Grandis spoke, as he reached with his hands to forcefully tear the exterior of his helmet off of him, as Mewtwo's eyes slowly widened as Grandis attempted to open his secondary helmet, before Mewtwo telekinetically stopped him from doing so. Grandis, moving his hands back to his sides all on his own, held his palm to his chest where his heart would be underneath as he gave Mewtwo a nod. Mewtwo, understanding the gesture, placed its arm on its own chest as it reverted back to its normal form, giving a nod to Grandis as its own rage subsided.

"That is your order; if all else fails, kill Ghetsis yourself; if he is stopped at the best possible conditions, then you must listen to Ash if he chooses to not let anybody kill him." Grandis ordered, as Mewtwo nodded.

 _ **"Discipline your son regarding his ignorance as a leader on his first few days, and you'll be certain this world shall not fall into ruin because of a freak from another timeline."**_ Mewtwo ordered Grandis in return, as Grandis moved to turn around and slowly leave, his helmet shifting to cover his whole head again. Mewtwo chuckled a bit as it saw Grandis move to leave on foot rather than back through the heavens.

 _ **"This meeting isn't the only reason you came here, isn't it?"**_ Mewtwo asked, as Grandis chuckled.

"Oh, you know exactly what my actual reason for coming here was the whole time; don't lie and say you don't, you and I both know you can easily read my mind." Grandis spoke up, as he moved to leave into a nearby cave as from his hand manifested what appeared to be a Poké Ball, but Mewtwo disregarded it with a bit of a smug grin as it chuckled to itself and flew off to head back towards the grove where Regulus and Arcturus were probably still arguing.

_**Back at Icirrus City…** _

Ash didn't realize what happened because he wasn't able to have seen it by the time he could process it. He heard screaming; both terror, both despair, as Ash moved to stir and look around to exactly where he was. He couldn't see anything in the dark of the non-existent room, as he could still silently hear the screams of his friends and acquaintances, all the while he could practically feel Zerkrion's wrath against his friends as jabs against his chest.

Clutching his chest as he moved to stand and try and see his way around this black void, Ash couldn't see anybody, "Samurott?!" Ash called out into the abyss in worry, as he looked around further as he slowly began to stir; he could vaguely make something out. "Raichu, Unfezant, Altair, Krookodile, Zekrom! Where are you guys?!" Ash yelled out into the void; not even his own voice echoed in this eternally dark room; Ash recoiled as he heard the sound of a squealing, ominously young girl sounding vocalization with a bizarre static to its dissonant cry being able to be heard.

Ash, looking around in panic, saw nothing when he thought he had seen something before him just moments ago. "Cheren, Bianca, Misty, Iris, N! Is anybody able to hear me?!" Ash called out, his tone trying to keep his composure and sense of courage, but even the ominous surroundings unnerved him; something didn't seem right. Flashing before him in the blink of an eye, appeared to be a blank, white blur of something alive in this strange place.

In the blink of an eye, a jellyfish-like creature with the movements of a little girl and even the voice of a dissonant rendition of one could be heard as the entity moved where it was directly in front of Ash. Ash yelped as he fell back, hissing a bit in pain as he grasped his chest again from the numerous jabs he felt from Zerkrion's movements; how was he feeling those movements? What was Zerkrion doing to his friends and Pokémon?

"Perhaps you need to be reminded of who I am, Ketchum. You took what was mine away from me before you even realized what you stole, but I'm not even remotely going to forgive you for your crimes against me and my glorious power." The sound of Ghetsis' gravelly voice could be heard, as Ghetsis slowly walked into view; instead of wearing his stylized shroud, he appeared in the flesh with most of his body exposed and his shroud over where his right arm would've been. As Ash moved to stand, he gritted his teeth in anger; this was not the same Ghetsis he remembered from many weeks prior.

"Ghetsis… What has happened to you over the course of our journey?! You don't seem like yourself at all…" Ash questioned, as he had a rather soft, but wary glare towards the smug looking man before him, watching as Ghetsis moved closer to tower over him in height alone. Within an instant, Ghetsis moved his shroud with the movement of what appeared to be a large, robust metallic arm, as he grabbed Ash by the neck and began to tighten his grip as Ash struggled in his grasp.

"W-Why a-are y-you d-d-doing t-t-this?!" Ash struggled to say, before he was tossed aside like a ragdoll against the seemingly non-existent ground, which felt very rocky but also… off. Hearing the screeching from a child-like entity, the screeching could be heard again in intensity when Ash looked over towards Ghetsis again once he recovered from the fall; he did not like what he was saying.

Type: Null, no longer appearing to possess a helmet as its expression looked oddly serene despite looking completely demented at the same time, held with both its front claws and its beak-like jaws the struggling form of the unknown, jellyfish-like entity that kept flicking through the air at times. Now that Ash had a clear view of it, the jellyfish looked like it had scars from this very Pokémon that had healed, meaning they've been on its form for a long while.

"S-Stop it!" Ash called out once he heard the entity scream in a human-like sound of pure agony as to Type: Null chewing on one of its limbs, before tearing one of the sensitive limbs off and eating it whole. Ash, moving to get up as his aura flared up in anger, had a glare towards Ghetsis he wouldn't even knew he had. "What did you do to that Pokémon?! Why is that Pokémon making this other Pokémon suffer?! Answer me, Ghetsis!" Ash said as his aura intensified to its second phase from the mere look on Ghetsis' smug, confident face that screamed to Ash that this is exactly what he was wanting to see and hear and more.

Just as Ash approached to punch Ghetsis in his smug face, Ash felt an electrical current surge through him at such a high intensity that he felt practically near death's door had it not been for his aura active at the moment. When Ash turned around to see what struck him, he was horrified at what he saw.

"R-R-Raichu…?!" Ash called out, recognizing his own Pokémon before his eyes; the friendliness from Raichu was not present, all Ash could see was flat out madness from the Pokémon's crystal blue eyes.

"Again!" Ghetsis ordered, as if Raichu was listening, as Raichu moved to rush at Ash with blinding speed; slamming into his chest with an electrical shock that made Ash nearly faint from the sheer amount of pain he had felt. Only his own endurance was keeping him alive at this point, in addition to whatever stamina he still had to maintain his strong aura. Ghetsis laughed with a dark sense of satisfaction, as Ghetsis snapped his fingers as he hollered to have something approach the scene. Ash could see something appear from the blackness of the room, just as Ghetsis was beginning to speak.

"You may question my motives for this, Ketchum; you wouldn't understand how boring it is to rule over an entire region and not have anything special for yourself like you or that bastard N did; do you want to know why I came here for real, Ketchum? My inferior self from this world; it sickened me with the disappointment to see an alternate version of myself not in any form of fame of fortune or even power. The desire for more than simply conquest overwhelmed me, and I craved far more than anyone could ever desire; I wanted to feel strong, I wanted to feel feared; so I went and made myself strong, and I went and made myself feared. What were you doing during then if you claim to be the Hero of Ideals? I saw no heroism from you while I was running free, doing whatever I pleased in my desire for more power and control over the world you live in." Ghetsis ranted on about, as Ash moved with his hands to try and form a sphere of energy in his hands to attack Ghetsis' Type: Null with, but Ash was stomped into the ground by a hefty amount of weight coming down onto his back at once.

Looking up in horror once he was able to see it, Zekrom, looking as if it were completely unhinged, had stepped down on Ash to keep him where he was all the while it chuckled in a draconic growl towards him. Ghetsis chuckled with amusement with what he was seeing from Zekrom, a Legendary Pokémon, turning against its own "trainer" as he thought of how it went.

"You should know of all people, Ketchum, that a Pokémon is a Pokémon, even if it is revered as a Deity; not even your own Dragon of Ideals could save itself from my ability to influence and control the wills of those around me. An idealistic dreamer; crushed before the cynical reality that is the fact you've always been living a losing battle. You never had anything despite your heritage; things were given to you when you didn't deserve them or even earn them; you took things for you selfishly proclaiming to be the hero in the process. How does that make you feel, Ketchum? Do you realize how much scum you've become yourself that even Team Plasma opposed from the start?" Ghetsis continued his rant, as he hollered yet again to summon forth the cry of an avian in the air; Unfezant finally showed up just as Zekrom moved away from Ash on Ghetsis' command.

"Unfezant! Don't listen to him! It's me, Ash!" Ash called out as tears were beginning to form in his eyes; his aura now surging with surges of black energy to signal his third phase of aura mode activating, but whether he was trying to snap them out of it or just keep himself alive not even he knew at that point. As Unfezant flew down and grabbed Ash's cape, she attempted to tear it off of him before Ash was forced to use the sphere he was charging to send her flying off of him; Ash looked shocked by what he did to his own Pokémon. He couldn't even bring himself to look back at Ghetsis as he was overcome with guilt for what he had just did.

"You see now, Ketchum? You're no different from anyone else; abusing powers that you inherited from your bastard father without realizing that perhaps your precious mother was right; maybe you should've just stayed home and never left on your journey. Even with the loyalty of your friends, nothing would last forever anyways; they would simply move on without you sooner or later. That's just reality." Ghetsis continued once more, as he hollered again to get the attention of a different Pokémon, this time in the intimidating form of Krookodile; despite being robotic under the surface, whatever Ghetsis did to Ash's Pokémon effected even him. Lunging at Ash to grab him in his jaws, Krookodile tossed him around in its sharp toothed grip before tossed him into the ground with immense force. Ash, coughing up blood as he began to try and say something, was weakly beginning to try and stand. Ghetsis, holding his hand up, gestured for the Pokémon to stop and let Ash attempt to fully stand up.

 **"W-Why… W-Why do you do this to them…?! They never did anything wrong to you… You're forcing them to turn against their friend… P-Please, whatever you want, just s-stop it!"** Ash spoke up and ordered for Ghetsis to cease; but Ghetsis once more hollered and summoned forth something that made Ash's hair stand up on the back of his head, as he quickly turned around only to be meant with a brutal kick to the face by Altair; the intense amount of aura surging through Altair's burnt black, exposed veins, combined with the immense speed he had moved to repeatedly move up to Ash's face with every individual punch, one after the other knocking him backwards, before landing a punch into his hand and then slamming him into the ground with an enough force to break something. Despite everything, Ash still attempted to crawl to get back onto his own feet; coughing up blood as he did, he began to feel uneasy as his aura ignited even further as a means to try and force his own body to stop feeling so much pain.

"Naïve, little Ketchum… Perhaps you'd like to hear a tale of an alternate timeline in which you did not have the same birth land as you do here, and how you were nothing short of a spoiled brat who never had any major achievements in the long run; how life dished out all it could so that the deck was always stacked against your favor, regardless of how the outcome would've went in reality despite the rigged game this version of yourself felt? The sweet lass that even kissed you despite your failures… do you even remotely feel any true attachment to your two bitches and whores who you barely even know?" Ghetsis asked and demanded to know, all the while Ash was struggling to even get up before he could even say anything back.

"… That's what I thought; both you and your other friend are similar, to say the least; you both rushed into a romantic relationship with another far too soon before the two of you even knew the other party all that well. Is that how love actually works, or are you secretly manipulating their minds to make them feel that way? Considering how much Iris worships the ground you stand, I wouldn't be surprised if she had anything she was hiding from you that she had no reason to say in front of you." Ghetsis went on again, as footsteps could be heard in the distance; Ash was able to look around at his Pokémon and saw none of them trying to move again until Ghetsis wanted it to happen. Ash's aura shown him the one Pokémon he dreaded to try and turn on him at a time like this, to see having attack him when Ghetsis was forcing his Pokémon to do this, but what else he saw using his aura disturbed him even further.

Ghetsis, as well as Type: Null's aura, were completely red with malice, but all of Ash's Pokémon maintained their innocent blue. Did they truly hate him that much on the inside, he thought to himself as tears were beginning to flow from his eyes down his cheeks.

"… You're beginning to bore me now, I was hoping you had something to say… I suppose not, though. Samurott!" Ghetsis called as he let out his hellish hollering towards Samurott; as Samurott engaged its own forme change with a watery veil, Samurott rushed forward and tossed Ash into the air, before moving to repeatedly strike at him with his seamitanas with near lethal force. Ash, as his aura strengthened enough to allow him to think straight, activated Aura Blitz silently as he moved to latch onto Samurott with a tight embrace.

Samurott hesitated with trying to attack Ash at this point, but Ash didn't notice this as Samurott fell to the ground with Ash landing on top of him. As Ash's other Pokémon moved to pile onto the duo with each of their expressions heartless in demeanor and overall hostility, Ash slowly opened his eyes as he realized something.

 **"All of you… please, listen to me… I don't care if you truly hate me and want to be free in the wild again… I don't care if none of you want to be my friend anymore… I don't care if you want to kill me at this rate… I-I… I just don't want to part ways in such a way like this… everyone will be sad…!"** Ash said, as he could feel his Pokémon each trying to attack him from where he was with Samurott beneath him; not letting go of his embrace towards his Starter Pokémon as he was looking him straight in the eyes; the soulless gaze began to fade after a while. Ash's aura, nearing its absolutely peaked, suddenly surged with an orange glow as heartsoul energy was filling his body and trying to revitalize him.

' _Please don't die, Ash…'_

Ash couldn't tell if it was Misty or Iris whom had spoken, but one thing was clear; he needed to say something towards all six of his Pokémon present here.

 _ **"E-Everyone…"**_ Ash began to say, before a large, glowing gold, Draconic aura formed around himself as the sheer raw power of it knocked all of his Pokémon away from him, _**" OPEN YOUR EYES!"**_ Ash called out as the draconic aura roared with absolutely ferocity and despair that was even more commanding than what Ghetsis himself could speak. Ash looked towards all of his Pokémon as his exhaustion made him sit down on the ground, as he didn't even know if Ghetsis was there anymore as he began to cry and hide his eyes beneath his hat.

All of Ash's Pokémon looked upon their crying trainer, no, friend, with the hostile, soulless glares they all had when they appeared visible, but their glares began to fade away from hearing Ash speak out towards them as they seemed to be returning towards their senses. As all of them moved over towards Ash to embrace him from different sides, each of them began to have their own aura speak out towards his and try and heal him after what he had been through.

Ash was out of it as to what he could feel; he could see up ahead with his aura that the way out was open, and that Zerkrion was standing there relatively docile and waiting for him. Ghetsis and Type: Null had vanished, and so did the mysterious Pokémon. As Ash looked towards the Ultra Beast up ahead, he could feel the comfort and reassurance from both it and his own Pokémon surrounding him as he slowly moved to stand.

 _ **"T-Thank you…"**_ Ash said, as he slowly moved to get up and walk out; the draconic aura forming around him again to carry every one of his Pokémon with him as he moved, a giant crack in the ground forming as the dragon made each individual step.

' _Zerkrion! Hurry up and get him out of there!'_ The sound of Misty's voice couldn't have been any more clear to Ash; walking out as he heard the sound of bells beginning to ring louder and louder as he approached the exit; as everyone began to become quiet in Ash's mind, he could feel himself entering back to the world he came from; back to where he and his Pokémon belong.

' _You have come so far, my son… It's time for you to continue your adventure.'_

**To Be Continued…**


	63. Chapter 62: Tranquility

Delia was sitting on a bench in the front yard of her home back at Nuvema Town. Everything was beginning to take a toll on her mind after what she has heard has been going on with Ash; first she allowed him to go on a journey with Cheren and Bianca, and now things have escalated far beyond what she expected. She thought she had herself to blame about leaving Ash in the dark about Sirius, since she had no idea as to whether or not it was a good idea or not.

Sighing as she quietly sat outside in the cold, she was beginning to cry when she was startled to see somebody offering her a handkerchief, which startled her further when she saw who was standing there; Colress, the lead scientist of Team Plasma and Ghetsis' second-in-command, seemingly approaching her because he knew she wanted comfort.

"I figured I would come here to comfort an ex, and also the fact I have nowhere else to go after what happened today." Colress spoke, his voice calm and rather subdued, seemingly very depressed with his tone. Delia, calmly shifting from her seat and dusting off the snow from the bench, allowed for Colress to sit beside her and relax; Delia could practically tell the man was stressed due to his sweating despite the cold weather.

"Look, Delia, I feel like we need to talk and all considering-"

"Ash needs a father in his life, now that he knows the truth of what sins I've done." Delia spoke up, choking a bit on her words as she tried not to break down in tears. Colress kept his hands to himself the whole time, and didn't budge at all just to not unwittingly upset Delia further as he listened.

"I tried so hard to keep him isolated for too long, and now I'm beginning to fear for the remainder of his life; even considering the chances of him defeating Ghetsis, becoming a hero, and winning the league, where is he to go next since he has no true public education? I fear he'll become too much like his father; an arrogant, fearless man who never knew when to stay anchored for his own good." Delia explained to Colress, all the while Colress was glancing at her from aside as he was listening to her.

"Go on." Colress prompted, as Delia seemed like she was about to reach for Colress' hand, but stopped herself part way and set her hand back in her lap.

"I feel like a terrible mother for how I've never truly been on his side with his ideals; I want to do something for him that could help him in the long run." Delia spoke up, all the while Colress put a hand on Delia's shoulder as he made her look at him.

"Now, listen to me if you will, please." Colress asked, stopping himself as he waited for a nod from Delia first, before resuming his train of thought, "Ash is 16 years old and he has managed to withstand things that no other trainer has been able to achieve to my knowledge. Mind you, I don't exactly know a lot of actually competent trainers myself, but Ash seems like he will find a way to overcome the difficulties that would face him sooner or later." Colress said, as he moved to keep his hands back towards himself again as Delia blinked.

"For me, in all honesty, I would've loved to have been a part of Ash's life as a surrogate father, but even I knew I could never replace Sirius and that Ash would find out the truth eventually." Colress spoke, as Delia listened still. "Though, if you want my thoughts on this, I have a feeling once Ash gets past the rather stubborn Brycen, I feel like his journey will be far easier from that point out."

"Do you really think so…?" Delia asked, as Colress sighed a bit as he checked a tablet of his he carried in his sleeve, and then showed Delia what was on-screen as her eyes widened at what she saw; the captive Flare and a full map as to where to get to her, as well as the captive Anthea and Concordia.

"I know so; this, however, will not be something I can assure without your help."

_**Icirrus City Pokémon Center…** _

"Wake up." A man's voice spoke, as Ash was seen resting on a bed in the Pokémon Center, with the others in the same room watching what was going on. Ash, slowly waking up and coming to his senses, slowly moved to sit up as he put his hand to his head due to the aching feeling he now felt.

"Wha… What happened? How did I get here?" Ash spoke up, before realizing what had happened to led to him getting here as his eyes widened with his aura partially flaring up. "GHETSIS! He tried to contact me and h-he…"

Ash was interrupted when he felt the touch of someone's hand on his shoulder, as he looked over and noticed not Misty as he expected, but instead Iris. Misty soon joined her to help calm Ash down as well, all the while Ash's aura subsided as he moved to quietly grab hold of both of their hands; giving both of them an affectionate kiss on their hand as Iris and Misty blushed, as did Ash a little as he chuckled a bit before turning to face the mysterious man before him.

The man had an icy, piercing gaze with his crystal blue eyes and dyed blue hair, his overall frame slender yet at the same time very well built. He appeared to have an exotic taste of fashion judging by his icy blue robes, and his blue mask to hide some of his face with. "So this is who Ash Ketchum is after I've heard so much about you?" He spoke up, as he held out of his hand. "My name is Brycen, I am the Gym Leader of Icirrus City." Brycen spoke, as Ash moved to shake his hand, but he stopped himself partway, before moving to lay his hand back by his side.

"You were testing me with that nightmare, weren't you?" Ash asked Brycen, as the man simply chuckled.

"I simply opened your mind to the cruel harshness of what Team Plasma did to wrong you thus far, and what you're currently not aware about." Brycen spoke, before moving towards a TV set in the room and turning it on. On the screen appeared to be violent protests occurring in Castelia City, all the while Cheren's eyes widened as did Ash's when they saw what was going on.

Protesters, gathered en masse in the streets, were seemingly out for blood as various signs and graffiti showed their desire to see not Team Plasma brought to justice, but rather for the Gym Leaders to stop dancing around the subject as to their lack of proper course of action against Team Plasma or any other threat to society that came to mind. Not only that, they also were not happy in the slightest as every time Burgh tried to talk with the group of civilians at his Gym's doorstep, they kept calling out for Drayden's blood to be spilled at the fact they did not take well to the news spreading like wildfire that he was trying to actively sabotage Ash's journey at every step.

Iris, backing out of the room quietly while Ash and Cheren gazed at the screen, was quickly noticed by Misty as Misty became suspicious by Iris suddenly moving to leave, before following her out to try and figure out why she decided to flee.

"This is horrible…" Bianca said, as she looked over at Cheren to see his reaction. Cheren honestly seemed more afraid than Bianca did in all of this, and Ash looked disturbed but he seemed nowhere near as such as during his sleep earlier.

"This is my fault…" Alain spoke up, as Billie and Giselle raised an eye as they both looked over towards him. Hilbert and Hilda were off more towards the side, but it wasn't any indicator they weren't listening at all.

"I'm the one who opened my big mouth regarding how excited I was when I learned my cousin had lineage with the famous Sirius Ketchum. I had begun to spread word of Ash's exploits over towards the eastern half of Unova before arriving here, and my words must've caught traction elsewhere in Unova." Alain said, as Brycen raised an eye.

"And why would you say this is your fault…?" Brycen asked, as Alain looked his head down a bit, causing the older gym leader to throw a glare his way, "Eyes up towards me, boy." Brycen shouted, as Alain flinched before looking Brycen dead in the eyes.

"I had gotten everyone's hopes up that Ash isn't the only one like him around Unova; I told everyone of Ash's harsh fight with Clay a few days after I had faced Clay myself, but most importantly, I had directly participated in riots going on between civilians and members of Team Plasma who were now actively searching for anyone else with aura under their control!" Alain shouted up, as Ash was a bit startled by Alain's revelation of the fact.

"So it was you who ignited this little flame, isn't it?!" Brycen said after a long silence, as he moved to approach Alain as Ash and Cheren suddenly both stood in Brycen's way.

"If you remotely want to deal with Alain in any way you're getting through us first…" Ash said, as he didn't sound happy with the threat he could tell Brycen had towards his younger cousin; his eyes flared up as he could sense a small trace of red from Brycen's own aura, but it was more than enough to be more than just simple anger alone; Cheren was just as hostile right now, and his aura was almost entirely blue still.

"Can't I have a say in this…?" Tempest spoke up, as he walked up towards the group in a bipedal version of his Garurumon form, as Brycen simply shot him a glare.

"Stay out of this, Ambassador; you and your friend have already done enough as it is." Brycen spoke up, as Tempest simply moved to sit right back down as he gave Brycen an equally hostile glare.

"Now then, I propose a challenge if you indeed want to free Alain of any accusations here, but not towards who you think..." Brycen spoke up, as he pointed towards Cheren as Bianca, Alain, as well as Billie and Giselle reacted with concern. "Cheren will be the first to challenge me. I will not let a weakened Aura Guardian face me no matter how hard he wants to, and besides, I have some questioning for Burgh's bastard of a son anyways." Brycen spoke, as began to walk out of the room in the Pokémon Center, leaving the disgruntled Cheren and Ash behind as everyone else sat around the large room in confusion and worry.

 _ **((If I may make my presence known now that Brycen has left…))**_  Altair spoke up, as Altair appeared from behind Tempest as he walked into view towards Ash and Cheren.  _ **((May I have your permission to battle by Cheren's side in all of this, Ash?))**_  Altair asked his trainer, but Ash looked at him with concern.

 _((Are you sure you feel up to it?))_  Ash asked, as Cheren looked at him and Altair as if already catching wind of what was being spoken behind his back. His eyes widened a bit as Altair nodded to Ash's question.

"A-Ash… I can accept the gift of your Key Stone, but I can't honestly allow myself to use one of your own Pokémon for this match…" Cheren spoke up, as he sounded rather disturbed.

"Then how about this, then." Bianca added as she handed Cheren Emboar's Poké Ball, as Cheren's eyes widened even further at the implications.

"Do this for both of us." Bianca gave Cheren an order, as Cheren blushed as he suddenly moved to hug Bianca; Bianca returning the embrace as she could feel Cheren shivering around her, but she didn't pay any mind to it at all.

"This is going be emotional for all of you involved, isn't it?" Nanu spoke up, as the reminder of his presence filled the room with the sudden, gravelly voice of his speaking up; everyone paid their attention right towards the older officer in the room.

"Where I'm from the 7th is usually a sign of the end of one's journey. Where I am there are no gyms; we only have trials guarded by fierce Pokémon referred to as Totem Pokémon; while we have Trial Captains, the Totem Pokémon are the actual closest we have to actual Gym Leaders in terms of being the strongest in their role." Nanu spoke up, rather quiet as he looked over towards Cheren with a serious, emotionless gaze.

"Where are you going with this?" Cheren asked, as Nanu simply maintained his gaze, all the while looking towards Billie and Giselle.

"Simple; I want you to escort these two ladies back to the dom's cottage up on the snow covered hill in this city. I want you to take the time to relax and calm your nerves by meeting them for real and who they are, as well as doing me a simple favor and make sure the two of them remain safe should something go wrong." Nanu asked, as he looked over towards Cheren, "Is that too much to handle?" He asked, as Cheren shook his head.

"N-No, not at all." Cheren said, as he looked towards Billie and Giselle; Bianca remained put as she allowed for the two girls to escort Cheren out of the room, as Nanu chuckled a little bit towards Bianca.

"So it's official, isn't it? You know something nobody else does when it comes to why you let him leave like that?" Nanu asked Bianca, as Bianca nodded.

"Yes sir…" Bianca said, as Nanu grinned a bit.

"Perhaps you should wait until you're in a more public setting to make the announcement though. Your choice of man is a good one, I'll give you that; he just needs to learn that he needs motivation in his life to keep going." Nanu spoke up, as he moved to stand and prepare to leave. "Come on Tempest, don't want to keep the Jennies waiting." Nanu told him, as Tempest nodded as he moved to walk out of the room with him as well.

_**Icirrus City Outskirts…** _

Cheren had walked with Billie and Giselle back towards the former's cottage where her parents lived; he couldn't help, however, but to notice Misty and Iris walking to themselves out of his view, but he could very well hear them.

"I don't know how I'll be able to break to Ash in all honesty, Misty. I know he'll never reject me for such a thing, but at the same time, I don't think I'll ever feel clean ever again because of it." Iris spoke towards Misty, as Misty gave her arm a reassuring hug, as Iris returned it as well.

"Come on, you can't honestly think what Drayden wants me to do won't be that big of a deal, right…?" Iris spoke up, as Misty blinked, her eyes wide and curious as she listened. Iris got nervous by the curious gaze from Misty, before nevertheless calming down when she began to blush from how cute Misty looked.

"S-Sorry… I just… I really hate what Drayden's wanting me to do as of late… Wanting me to break off connections with Ash is just something I honestly can't bear to have happen at this rate… My heart is already breaking at the fact Drayden is being so horrible to Ash behind his back…" Iris told Misty, as Misty nodded as she gently moved to hug the dark skinned girl in a tight embrace.

"Promise me Misty, that you'll have courage in me for trying to stand up to Drayden after all of this is over, okay…? I can rest in peace once I can finally let Drayden know I will not tolerate his actions…" Iris said, as Misty looked disturbed with the way her expression looked after what Iris said, as Iris chuckled a little to try and calm Misty down.

"What? You honestly expect me to die during the challenge? It's actually kind of sweet you're worried about me in such a way…" Iris spoke up, as could tell Ash was moving up towards the duo as he was trying to walk normally to catch up with the two of them. Iris and Misty both smiled warmly, as they both looked at each other happily before suddenly moving to tackle Ash into the snow.

Ash could be heard yelping in surprise as he heard Iris and Misty laughing a bit as to the fact Ash moved to pick both of them up in his strong arms once he could regain his footing, twirling them both around as Cheren looked out of the window of Billie's cottage and eyed them from afar happily.

' _At least Ash knows what he wants in life…'_  Cheren thought, as he looked towards Billie introducing Giselle to some of her parent's Pokémon. Jessie and James were quiet as they were resting, as the two of them looked very old all the while Meowth moved over towards Cheren.

"Is something on your mind kiddo?" Meowth asked, as Cheren sighed a bit.

"Nothing, it's just… well… Have you ever felt what it was like to have a goal in life, but you lacked a motivation as to why you wanted to complete that goal in the first place?" Cheren asked Meowth, as Meowth nodded.

"I know that too well. Da boss initially didn't think of Jessie and James too well, but when Jessie and James got married and left Kanto for Unova as we're here now, they decided to settle down and call it quits because they no longer had a drive to stay with Team Rocket." Meowth explained, as he looked over out the window again as he saw Ash, Misty, and Iris playing in the snow with some of their Pokémon joining in on the fun. As Cheren reached into his pocket with a small box, Meowth's senses lightened up once Cheren showed him what was in it briefly.

"Must've been pretty expensive to get a hold of, so what's the occasion aside from simply having a girl in your life you want to anchor yourself to?" Meowth asked, as Cheren was quiet initially as he put the box away, as Cheren sighed once he finally had the courage to speak up.

"I highly doubt I'll be sticking to my first goal I had made when I started this journey for much longer; Ash will soon be the only one of the original trio to have stayed on his path at this rate, and that's more power to him... but I feel like I've been wanting to win the league and become the Champion, but after all of this time, they say many things happen for a reason…" Cheren spoke up, as he looked out of the window again as he moved to open it up. Once he did, he pulled out a Poké Ball and opened it as a blue glow moved to reveal Tornadus from within it.

Tornadus, in a state of calmness, simply gave Cheren a nod, before seemingly in an instant, it flew off into the sky, never to be seen again in a few small seconds.

"Everything happens for a reason, as I said, and sometimes we honestly will never know as to why."

**To Be Continued…**


	64. Chapter 63: Dry Ice

_The Xtransceiver was ringing again, with its distinct "Pika!" ringtone whenever a text was received. Ash, at first, thought it was Alain trying to apologize for what happened earlier in the room, but then he answered it and noticed the text from N. Now that he thought about it, N hadn't been present much of the time earlier, as Iris and Misty looked over Ash's shoulders to try and read the text, before Ash was quick to push the two out of the way carefully before calling out Zekrom and jumping on its back and flying off towards places unknown._

_Tempest and Nanu could both be heard walking through the area, as Iris was about to bring something up; Tempest interrupted, asking for her and Misty to come along for some questioning regarding Ash and his lineage for whatever they knew about it. Iris, initially untrustworthy of the duo, tried to be brave and followed after Nanu and Tempest into a police station. Perhaps it wasn't a wise move in hindsight._

_Perhaps I should've followed Ash._

* * *

 

"DARK GAIA FORCE!"

As a loud, thunderous explosion hit the eastern side of the region, much, much further away from Ash's group, an agitated, albeit corrupted, Flare moved to land on the ground in the midst of a crater formed in the ocean. Throwing her hands up into the air, freed of the Dramon Killers she normally has equipped, she manifested a great sphere of energy in her hands.

"DARK! GAIA! FORCE!" With each word, the sphere grew larger and larger, and eventually the dragon slayer opted to drop the giant mass of energy against herself in a fit of growling rage. As the sphere came down upon her very slowly, the sphere eventually collided with her and the deep ocean nearby and exploded with a bright flash of energy that even from a far side of the region could be seen loud and clear.

Mewtwo was flying towards the area with Regulus standing atop its back, as Mewtwo was groaning at the fact he had to carry Regulus around for this meeting with Flare. She may be corrupted in her current state, but something felt nerve wracking towards the Legendary Pokémon and the Aura Pokémon; Flare's dark coil was beginning to crack and tear apart with each repeated attempted to destroy it on her own, and after the previous powerful blast, the coil completely snapped and fell off of her.

As the water around her retreated into the area before her, she didn't even flinch when the ocean water suddenly submerged her in the abyss as she looked up towards the sky; her eyes going from a soulless red to her original, green eyes, as her body and armor began to shift back to her natural coloration. As the ocean waves crashed against her, she suddenly jumped up into the air to breach the surface, as she manifested molten fire around her arms to reconstruct her destroyed Dramon Killer weapons.

As Mewtwo and Regulus arrived on the scene, they were quick to notice Flare's normal state having returned. "So you managed to free yourself this time, bravo… next time don't just let yourself be caught just to prove a point." Regulus said to Flare, as the taller Digimon growled towards him aggressively.

"Look if you're wanting a fight go pick one with the fox bitch why don't ya? The internet has a lot of stuff relating to you two on it and so help me if you don't even bother fighting me now I'm going to inform the Chancellor about it and-" Flare was going on a tangent, as she now noticed the horrified expression from Mewtwo and Regulus, before she turned around to face what they were gawking at as she suddenly had her eyes widened.

Even if merely 10 inches tall, stood a humanoid robot of sorts with a dark red, metallic mane of hair, and a dark colored blue and teal armor with a basic, but sturdy and hi-tech, gun on the right arm, a bomb cannon on the left, specially equipped legs for hovering in the air, and a weapon pod on the back which also was helped built for flight. On the humanoid's back appeared an odd, spherical container. As Regulus' dreadlocks raised, he noticed whatever was in the container was nothing short of malice due to the red aura he detected from an otherwise blue aura within the robot itself.

"… Chronicler… You're early, in all honesty." Mewtwo spoke up, as it read Regulus' mind too easily to figure out the information from the robotic humanoid before the three of them. As Flare motioned to make a salute to the miniature mecha, Mewtwo and Regulus exchanged a nod due to their difficult position.

"Gentlemen, it's clear that my father's arrival worked as a bluff I see?" Chronicler asked, as his thoughts were spoken in a robotic tone by the shelled, otherwise empty husk of a robot he had at his immediate command via a remote location. Mewtwo and Regulus looked at each other with concern, as Flare moved back to get a better look at Chronicler's temporary body.

"Ray 01 I presume? The model description matches what I've been hearing about." Flare asked, before suddenly being dropkicked in the chest by the miniature mecha at an immense speed and force, before the small humanoid moved to Flare's ear.

"You know better than to speak of this entity out loud, especially to those two…" Chronicler whispered to her, before backing off with a flip as Chronicler embraced the control he had over this small form. "Either way it's good to see you were able to free yourself; I am, however, disappointed that you have yet to track down Tempest and proceed to Jogress with him back into Raiga. Can't keep the Admiral waiting for his date and all." Chronicler spoke towards Flare, as Flare merely growled.

"I don't understand why you'd rather talk to the bitch rather than me, but if that's what you truly desire, you'll get more than just her bitchy attitude as she usually speaks; a lot, more than you'll ever imagine at this rate unless you have something in mind." Flare spoke up, as Chronicler merely chuckled.

"Go find your mutt of a mate then, Flare, and then come back to me so I can talk to the bitch herself as you yourself put it." Chronicler ordered her as he folded his arms the best he could in this shrunken form. Flare nodded as she gave a salute, before flying off into the distance to track down Tempest. Mewtwo and Regulus both approached Chronicler as if about to try and put up an argument with his orders…

… But Chronicler was not going to have any of their words, as he fired a warning shot in the form of an incredibly small bomb projectile, but upon colliding with the air much further away from Mewtwo and Regulus, it exploded with the fury so vast it turned the night sky of this part of the globe into day because of the sheer brightness and intensity of the explosive. Mewtwo and Regulus looked back in shock and horror, but Chronicler simply chuckled darkly.

"You two know what you need to do; continue to guard Cosmog back at Regulus' village until further notice; if Ghetsis so much as lays a hand on it we're all screwed in that case. GOT IT?!" Chronicler shouted towards the duo, as Mewtwo and Regulus looked ready to put up a fight as both of them were beginning to charge a sphere of aura in their hands, as Chronicler raised his weapons to take aim.

After exchanging glares between the two opposing sides, Mewtwo and Regulus simply flew off back towards the haven, as Chronicler chuckled a little before suddenly flying towards the ground, before he flew at an immense speed that allowed him to reach Unova in seconds, and at the northernmost area normally not traveled to by many of the natives; the giant, incredibly massive colosseum where the Pokémon League was held loomed a giant shadow over the massive forest behind it.

As Chronicler landed, he dropped the container he held, as he forced it open after turning around to face it and what was inside. Whatever was inside the white sphere, soon melted into a pitch black substance, as out from it crawled out a very small, but incredibly vicious looking entity; armor like bone and markings of a crimson sun, the glowing, yellow eyes of the creature opened up slowly as the creature suddenly began to immediately begin to grow at a faster rate due to a collar on it which seemed to control it.

Tempest was now being forced to pick up the pace; Chronicler effectively shortened the deadline by three days as he was waiting for the incubation of this Draconid monster to form before him.

_**Icirrus City Police Station…** _

"So you're telling me that Chronicler plans to vaporize the whole region if this issue with Ghetsis isn't settled in five days?" Nanu spoke up, his voice dry and oddly showing more concern about the revelation Tempest had told him about.

"Yes, unfortunately… he cannot risk the chances of Ghetsis ever remotely being allowed to live in the outcome of this; he fears Ash is too arrogant because he respects the fact that Ash is indeed an ideal person, but he refuses to admit Ash is in the right with the idea of letting him live after the conflict inevitably comes to an end." Tempest told Nanu, as Nanu merely sighed.

"By the way, Tempest? Did you check the clocks were given before I went to find you? You might be in a bit of a hurry in that case then…" Nanu spoke towards Tempest, as the werewolf Digimon simply blinked.

"… I beg your pardon?"

"Just open the fucking watch." Nanu spoke in a harsh order, as Tempest flinched as he moved to check the watch; his eyes widened as the timer was instantly dropped from less than 5 days, to less than 3 days now.

"The blasted idiot has too much of his mother in him for his own good; even Grandis isn't this reckless."

"As if he even wanted the job to begin with." Nanu dryly spoke, as he moved to slump over onto a seat to check on a television for any news reports. As he did, he found that a report was going on towards the southeastern tip of Unova.

"Live coming to you from Nuvema Town, the sight is baffling as a larger explosion occurred just towards the west; clearly something had happened in the officially owned facility there, but only two targets were spotted flying towards it or out of it. One confirmed target was revealed during a frame by frame analysis, spotting a man carrying what appeared to be two women out of the facility, and appearing to land right here as we speak." The woman on screen spoke, as landing before her was none other than Colress alongside Anthea and Concordia.

Before the woman could even ask, she was interrupted by the thunderous cry of a powerful Legendary Pokémon just over her head, as carefully moving to fly towards to land was Lugia, and on its back none other than Delia, as she jumped off to land as she didn't look happy in the slightest, whereas Colress remained static in terms of general expression.

Anthea and Concordia were both silent during all of this, yet again the woman was about to ask something, but another, powerful explosion filled the air just above them down collided with the ground the scrapped remains of a purple husk of some sorts before them.

[ONE MORE TO GO, AND NEXT I'LL BE SWIMMIN' IN YA TEARS, BITCHES!] Geneshine's cackling, monotone voice could be heard as it flew over heard as Tempest slammed his fist into the table.

"Blasted Geneshine is getting stronger by the second, an order to glass the region should Ash fall being hastened, and now Delia and Colress are exposing themselves just as I know somewhere Ghetsis is going mad because of this. What next, Flare shows up and asks me to fuse with her into Raiga?!" Tempest asked, as Nanu raised an eye.

"… So, wait, you're the mysterious Raiga figure I've been hearing about?" Nanu asked, as busting down the door emerged the tall, robust frame of Flare entering the room, as Nanu's eyes widened.

"Yes, but no at the same time. She is neither me, nor is she him, but I will assure you; the enforcer you're going to see the moment Tempest realizes we need to Jogress into a single being whether we like it or not will be unrelenting." Flare spoke up, as she approached Tempest as she lay a hand on his head, which caused Tempest to radically shift in shape up into his original MetalGarurumon form, as the glow from the quick transformation faded. However, despite Flare clearly being no longer corrupted, Tempest's immediate action was to suddenly run past her and fly off into the air towards the north.

"Blasted idiot! Does he not realize he can't joke around at a time like this?!"

"And yet you're just sticking around."

"Buzz off, human." Flare said as she suddenly flew out the door to chase after Tempest in a fury. Just as an Officer Jenny was beginning to write a report on what exactly she just saw happen in the building before her, Nanu gave her a glare telling her to stop, as he moved to leave the building entirely.

_**Icirrus Gym, Cheren's Challenge:** _

Brycen did not waste time in sending out a strong Pokémon, as Cheren didn't bother wasting time either even with the type advantage at hand; Braviary was rough at clawing away at the massive, burly arctic form of a polar bear Pokémon which Bianca's Pokédex scanned as "Beartic", the mighty Ice Type Pokémon did not appear to show much resilience against Braviary's powerful thrashing with its talons and occasional dives directly into its chest.

As Beartic was getting enraged, it caused the ground to shake as massive spires of ice forged themselves and propelled themselves towards Braviary. Braviary, despite the threat of an easy KO against itself, was proudly able to dive bomb into Beartic to bring the Pokémon to the very ground, just as the two were encased in a shell of ice as both of them were knocked out when it collapsed on the duo.

"Impressive, Cheren; but do you have a point in all of this?" Brycen said, as he called back Beartic, as Cheren growled a bit as it was clear from the look of him he was not only pushing himself hard with his heartsoul amplification boost, but he was pushing himself a tad too much, which had a worried look from Bianca the whole time.

"For the last time old man, I dream to become the Champion of Unova!" Cheren shouted towards the guy in anger as he returned Braviary to his Poké Ball, before calling out the imposing Haxorus into the arena, as Haxorus roared with a fierce intensity before Brycen sent out his next Pokémon, in the form of an intimidating, face-like snowflake which Bianca's Pokédex scanned as "Cryogonal".

As massive, giant chains of ice formed around itself as it propelled itself up into the air with a massive spire of ice being dragged up from beneath it, Haxorus roared with a fierce intensity, as the sudden, swift movements of the Dragon Type was made clear the moment Cryogonal began raining down immense barrages of hail towards the Dragon Pokémon, but it did not entirely care if it got injured during this.

In fact, it relished the challenge at hand, as Haxorus scaled up the massive spire of ice with its powerful arms and legs, before suddenly locking onto Cryogonal with its powerful, axe tusked jaws, before tossing the Pokémon into the ground below as Haxorus jumped off of the spire feet first to land and stomp onto Cryogonal into the ground. As Cryogonal collapsed from the sheer pressure at hand, Brycen called it back as he chuckled a bit.

"It's funny, really; you're so close to victory, but you don't even know why." Brycen said to Cheren as he paused his fight, as he could tell Cheren was getting furious. "You wish to become the Champion, but why do you want to do so? Do you have some kind of goal you wish to fulfill because of the status you'd earn? Or do you instead just want to impress your childhood crush with the title of Champion of Unova? It's as simple as that; do you even have a reason to drive into becoming the Champion, Cheren?"

Brycen was harsh with his words, as Cheren was beginning to pant heavily as he was beginning to sweat and cough from the heartsoul energy around himself beginning to take hold. As Ash arrived to the gym with Bianca looking towards him with concern over Cheren's condition, Ash watched as Cheren's own inner power was beginning to eat away at his condition.

"I… I don't know…" Cheren finally spoke, as the heartsoul energy around him suddenly dissipated as he fell onto his hands and knees, gasping for air all the while as Brycen flew into the arena a white flag, indicating his lack of interest in continuing the fight further, as now he had something in mind.

"Do you still wish to become the Champion, Cheren?" Brycen asked, as he walked over towards him as he began polishing a badge to hand to Cheren, but Cheren looked up at Brycen's smirk as he frowned at the sight of it.

"… That's the only badge, isn't it?" Cheren asked, as Brycen closed his eyes as he chuckled.

"… Indeed; you are indeed your fathers son, after all."

"My father is dead…" Cheren mumbled, as Brycen opened his eyes.

"… Burgh? I just saw him a few hours ago alive and well in a meeting. Or are you referring to Felix the failure?" Brycen asked, as Cheren began to feel a few tears falling from his eyes as he choked up with trying to get the energy to stand again; Bianca moved to help Cheren stand after all was said and done.

"Neither of them… I was never truly there son… I was just adopted because neither of my adoptive fathers wanted to argue with each other over whom would bear a son for my mom… All I know is that I'm just from my mom's genes, but I have no idea who my actual father even remotely is…" Cheren spoke up, as Bianca gave Cheren a concerned gaze into his eyes, before she moved to affectionately hug him to herself as resting her head on his shoulder. As she closed her eyes and relaxed, Cheren moved from out of her grasp as he pulled the box from before out from his pocket.

Bianca's eyes opened when noticed Cheren moving, but she couldn't utter a word at the sudden shock she felt in her with what Cheren was presenting her as he now stood on his hands and knees; Ash was dead silent during all of this; the observing Billie and Giselle had entered the room just to see the outcome, and were impressed Cheren even managed to get this far.

"I choose you, Bianca; after having known you for years and having held in a strong yearning for you, I can't continue with my challenge for the role of the Champion with the idea of putting my life on the line now that you're romantically involved in my life; I do not wish to suffer the same fate as my actual father as he did after he had become Champion elsewhere… I… I feel foolish for trying to live up to his dream." Cheren said, as he began to cry a little bit as he looked towards Bianca for an answer from her. Bianca, moving to remove her left hand's glove, didn't say anything as she held her gaze towards Cheren below her, as she allowed her left ring finger to be grasped by the firm, solid grip of the emerald, encrusted Serperior design to the ring.

As Cheren moved to stand, Brycen watched as Cheren hugged Bianca all the while breaking down crying, as Brycen looked towards Ash with a serious gaze.

"Aura Guardian to be… I understand my son was questionable in trying to live a dream he never truly chose to live beforehand, but now that he has opened his eyes and thought about it with our match, I think it is about time to settle what you came here to start." Brycen said, as he walked back over towards his side of the ring, as Ash held a Poké Ball in his hand as he called out Victini from the Poké Ball, as Victini hovered above Ash's side of the field.

Cheren didn't have the chance to register Brycen's words; all he could do was move to kiss Bianca on the lips passionately as she did the same for him in return. Both of them were teary eyed, but both of them couldn't have been happier now that they both were truly together, and as the two of them looked to face Ash and Brycen…

… Their happiness quickly was reduced to pure, unadulterated horror as to the… thing… that Brycen had sent out. Appearing before the entire crowd and a horrified Ash and Victini as a tremendous in size, massive rocket ship like entity with massive, pillar-like arms with engine turbines on the bottom, appearing the tall, imposing, yet elegant figure as to what Bianca's Pokédex could only barely recognize at all.

"Celesteela appeared."

**To Be Continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So then, Ash's challenge against Brycen is soon to begin with a twist to it, Geneshine's subplot is ending, Flare's subplot is beginning to end, all that remains of Team Plasma at this rate are Ghetsis and the remaining Sages, Grunts, and admittedly Aldith if she's still around, meaning the Pokémon League is just over the horizon at this rate. N's subplot is a bit of a mystery for now, but rest assured both he and everyone else participating in the league now that the challengers are becoming clear will be cleared up by the time the story comes to a close…
> 
> So why don't we decide to celebrate the fact by the time November 17th of this very year falls around, Truth and Ideals will be my first officially completed fanfic by the time Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are released the same day. I already have everything set into motion as to how the climax is going to work, and what all is remaining to happen with the current rate of the progression of the plot. Now that I'm more comfortable writing fanfics after a very painful writer's block, I am fully motivated to meet a deadline this time as Truth and Ideals will soon be a finished story before I even know it.
> 
> And with that I'm offering a challenge to all of my readers, and especially to my reviewers, for I have a prize I feel like giving away because of simple generosity, and I have a goal in mind to meet regarding the way things are going to unfold. Anybody who leaves a review both during the story's continued upload schedule, and after the story is marked as completed in a full, in-depth review will be entered into a special ballot to determine who will be walking home with a Shiny Ho-Oh straight out of Pokémon Gold for Virtual Console.
> 
> It is completely your own choice as to what nature and EVs, IVs, and moves it knows before I send it on over, and only the one who is declared the victor will be asked for this information so please, do me a favor and don't message me pestering me about it until it's time to determine who the winner is. Simply post reviews both before and after the completion of Truth and Ideals, and then post your friend code in both or however many reviews you make, and then you will officially be entered in the ballot to determine who shall receive the Shiny Ho-Oh straight from Gen II.


	65. Chapter 64: A Shared, Shining Passion

It was an indeterminable amount of thousands of years prior to the present in which everything truly began. Sure, we had Arceus the Creator, who forged the entire universe with three different types of matter before going dormant due to increasingly hostile encounters with mortals angering It. True, we also have Mew, the mother of all genesis with its birth of all of the known Pokémon that inhabit the world, the unknown, and even perhaps the depths of Ultra Space. The question always remained the same, however…

Where did the humans originate from? Why are they here in a world unfamiliar to them? Why is it they were given the permission of mastering the very nature and being of Pokémon before them, to the point at least thrice now they've attempted to play God? Perhaps we may never truly know.

There does, however, exist the earliest known incident of chaos that humanity had to occur; while humankind was already on the verge of extinction after the latest clash between the Super Ancient Pokémon, that incident was poultry compared to humanity possibly losing their very souls to what was perceived as nothing more than a game to a ghost with a strong sense of aura.

Until it was decided that this ghost would develop a heart and soul of its own to allow it to fully grasp judgment and humanity; the lone warrior in the form of a ghost Pokémon known as Marshadow, seeking to challenge all of the known "Legendary Warlords" of the ancient past, seeks out the strongest Pokémon ever known to exist to ultimately have an audience with the Warlord's own creator in the first place.

The Legendary Pokémon, Ho-Oh, flew over the sky as it was a bright, red dusk at the current time. Not far and towards the ground overlooking the sunset, appeared from the shadow of a boulder the ominous, red and yellow eyes of a spectral Pokémon, Marshadow, as it observed Ho-Oh's shining form flying through the sky.

"Someday I will challenge you, oh great one… but first, I need to feel the surge of aura through my soul like you have shown us many times before…" Marshadow whispered, all the while Marshadow watched at the red dusk of the forest up ahead. As Marshadow watched, Ho-Oh flew up into the air above the setting sun until its figure appeared darkened by the sun behind it; suddenly a bright flash from itself ignited from its body, as it suddenly shined like a thousand suns all at once as a variety of orange, blue, and various other colors surged from out of its body.

The various forms of energy, many and powerful all the same, moved to rain down on the surface below, as the Pokémon seen in the forest, and even Marshadow, could feel their bodies tingle as their forms suddenly exploded with raw power; heartsoul amplification, aura akin to Lucario's, all sorts of raw energy flowed through the Pokémon below…

… As jumping up into the air with its serpentine form appeared a Serperior, whose body now surged with a bright, intense aura that caused its shape to transform; Warlord-Serperior emerged from the bright flash, as it landed on the ground before Marshadow to move in to attack. Marshadow, as its own, bright green aura ignited upon feeling the surge of aura from Ho-Oh, jumped into the air free from the boulder's shadow, as it suddenly jumped down towards Warlord-Serperior to land a powerful punch against the Pokémon's snout, but as Warlord-Serperior began to glow with a bright intensity, Marshadow only had so long to brace itself as it let out an ear piercing shriek as suddenly an immense, raw blast of pure energy fired towards it.

As the beam penetrated the sky, Marshadow was lucky enough to fade into Warlord-Serperior's shadow and then emerge from behind it as it moved to land a frigid punch of ice against its scales, causing the Pokémon to shiver a bit, before its scales could suddenly be felt burning at a hot intensity, but it was far little too late. Marshadow, fully charged with its bright, green and ghostly aura, moved to jab seven fists through the air, as an odd insignia was formed in front of Warlord-Serperior as Marshadow propelled itself forward and pierced through Warlord-Serperior's very soul and being, which ultimately caused the Pokémon to revert back to normal and collapse.

However, just as Marshadow was moving to celebrate its victory, it was not much longer until the sound of two, giant quadrupeds moving across the ground at an immense speed where heard, in which Marshadow turned to face the rushing Warlord-Emboar and a new, Viking-esque form of a large, bear Pokémon in the form of an ice covered and armored Warlord-Beartic charging alongside its fellow Warlord to move into to attack Marshadow.

The two were not alone, however, as just as the two Pokémon managed to catch Marshadow off guard with both of their charges actually managing to hurt it, but as Marshadow began to fall off of the cliff, something powerful drilled through the side of it with insanely sharp, razorblade-like steel as the cliff burst behind it with Warlord-Emboar and Warlord-Beartic caught in the crossfire of not just this new Warlord-Forme, but also the Warlord-Forme directly underneath of them in the cliff being a massive, imposing golem-like entity of sorts with shining diamonds and gems spiraling out of its backside.

As the drilled form uncurled itself, it showed the sharp claws of its arms and legs and even its head and jaws to be Warlord-Excadrill, and the Pokémon erupting from the rock of the cliff before it giving chase to both it and Marshadow, with Warlord-Emboar and Warlord-Beartic taking a ride, being Warlord-Gigalith, whose intense gaze as its radiant crystal forged body roared out into the sky.

Marshadow gasped at the sight of four opponents at once, but did not truly anticipate a fifth coming from the sky behind it, as it turned around and saw in the sky the giant, wyvern-like wings akin to giant blades flying towards it with a streamlined body and sharpened axe jaws; Warlord-Haxorus entered the ring as it dive bombed into Warlord-Excadrill, causing the Steel Type to crash into Warlord-Gigalith's face as the crystalline form suddenly detonated upon impact, as if forged from fragile, volcanic glass as Gigalith began to burn across its whole body as giant, rocky formations from the ground suddenly erupted into the air around itself.

With Marshadow barely having the time to regain its bearings on one of the rocks, Warlord-Emboar and Warlord-Beartic, alongside the recovering Warlord-Excadrill, all jumped and ran across the boulders lifted into the air by Warlord-Gigalith's very movement alone, as Warlord-Haxorus was circling the air above. Marshadow had to act fast, and it only knew one way as to how; first focusing its attention and gaze onto Warlord-Excadrill, it charged its own aura within itself as it readied itself with a barrage of punches towards the front itself; the small figure didn't intimidate the incoming Warlord Pokémon at all, but what they didn't expect were the various insignias formed before them.

Marshadow, growling as it suddenly rushed and punched forward, could practically feel time slow down with every impact it made against the four; first colliding and piercing Warlord-Excadrill, before immediately jumping up and out through Warlord-Emboar's backside, and then slamming through Warlord-Beartic's jaws and out from the back of its head, and then finally raising both of its fists and slamming down into Warlord-Gigalith below.

As bright, powerful explosions of aura occurred once the four could register what had even happened, Excadrill, Emboar, and Beartic fell out of the sky as the nearby forest suddenly had nearby trees leveled to the ground at the immense explosion of aura from Warord-Gigalith's knock out back down into an ordinary Gigalith. Warlord-Haxorus, flying through the air as it suddenly moved to glide across the ground as it roared at the panting Marshadow, was just barely forced to miss Marshadow as Marshadow brought forth a massive, near invulnerable shield to have Warlord-Haxorus crash against.

Repeating the fisting motions again, the insignia appeared before Warlord-Haxorus as it was slowly moving to get up, before it could suddenly feel the rush of Marshadow through its own being as it suddenly exploded with the raw power having pierced its body, and forcing it back into Haxorus. Marshadow know glowed with an immense, orange and blue aura to coincide with its pre-existing green aura, as from the sky above was watching the immense, Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh as it seemed to be patiently observing the whole thing.

Suddenly folding its wings to itself as its body charged with energy, it suddenly stretched its wings outward in flight, as the energy contained within itself suddenly exploded outwards in a massive wave; a fierce aura and heartsoul energy covered the arena Marshadow had made for itself indirectly, as a giant dome was forged as the arena was created both above it…

… And under it, as the ground suddenly turned incredibly moist as it liquefied into water below Marshadow's feet; suddenly dragged into the water before it, Warlord-Samurott could be seen propelling Marshadow through an underwater vortex as it used both of its seamitanas to hack and slash at the Mythical Pokémon with an unyielding force, all the while a Pokémon in the water revealed itself as the semi-liquid form, but incredibly muddy and toxic at the same time, frog-like form of Warlord-Seismitoad.

As Warlord-Samurott tossed Marshadow into the sky of the dome to land its finishing blow from the attack, Warlord-Seismitoad suddenly recreated the ground around itself, before it suddenly jumped and dragged Marshadow back through the ground. As Warlord-Seismitoad laughed at the pathetic punching and jabs Marshadow made against its bulky form, it realized too little too late that Marshadow suddenly punched through its soul like the others before it as Marshadow flew up to do the exact same to Warlord-Samurott, as it landed on the newly restored ground as both Pokémon's auras detonated on the two of them as they collapsed in a heap with the others.

Ho-Oh suddenly let out a mighty call again, as flying through the air were the bright, extravagant Warlord-Unfezant and the infernal form of Warlord-Volcarona, as now charging into the arena as the form of the shaggy, robust form of a large, Warlord-Stoutland as it howled towards Marshadow with violent savagery on display. Marshadow only had so long to prepare itself, as charging through the fields was an odd figure that seemed just as Mythical as itself; Keldeo appeared, but it looked far different from the normal form of it; it looked far older than its previous, child-like form, to the point it almost resembled Cobalion in stature, and its horn was solidified with a bright metal as through its hair was a crown of blue, brown, and green hair surrounding its infernal red mane; Warlord-Keldeo entered the arena now.

Marshadow was quick to face both of its arms in opposite directions, before suddenly jumping into the air and firing jabs, punches, and kicks through the air as it suddenly seemed to separate into multiple copies of itself; all four incoming Warlord Pokémon were taken out with their own auras exploding on themselves like the rest beforehand, as now Marshadow's own aura was beginning to burn a bright, intense gold all of a sudden at their auras having now become a part of its own to use.

What happened next was like a suddenly blur; a single, lone Warlord-Zoroark appeared, as before it and surrounding all of Marshadow in the entire ring were Warlord Pokémon based off of who knows how many Pokémon existed in this unknown region and time; Marshadow couldn't even recognize some of them since there were too many to tell right off of the bat, as suddenly all of the Pokémon charged towards Marshadow at once with Marshadow moving to strike the first incoming fighter.

What happened during all of the intensity of the fight was Marshadow managing to survive blows from all angles, having to punch away at one or multiple targets all at once, as each of them vanished as it appeared Marshadow was beginning to tire out, it suddenly expelled its own collected aura in a bright, immense explosion which even the spectating gods from other worlds would've been able to see clear as day at an hour like this. Marshadow, watching as all of the Pokémon vanished as the area suddenly began to dark for some reason, was turning to face the Legendary Pokémon as it moved to fly towards Marshadow, just above the ground below.

"IT IS TiME." Ho-Oh seemingly spoke, as it suddenly let loose a loud, powerful call as the dome around Marshadow shattered as the aura was reabsorbed into Ho-Oh as its entire body exploded with a powerful, otherworldly aura as Marshadow gasped upon seeing Ho-Oh up close; it was far, far larger than a normal Ho-Oh from anywhere else, as the great Rainbow Legendary Pokémon suddenly fly into the arena to attempt to strike Marshadow; Marshadow, only having barely recovered from expelling its own aura, moved to jump and grab hold of Ho-Oh's head feathering, as it suddenly flew straight up into the air in response; its speed was even faster than it remotely was beforehand, as Marshadow merely being in contact with Ho-Oh caused its own body to erupt with a green aura again as its eyes flared to life as it felt revitalized.

With Ho-Oh continuing to fly higher and higher into the air, Marshadow was only slowly, and carefully, able to move to make jabs against Ho-Oh's head like before, as the insignia itself appeared, but unlike the others, Ho-Oh was not a fool to be taken lightly. Suddenly having its whole body erupt into a massive plume of flames, Marshadow was shaken off of the Legendary Pokémon as it suddenly fell from its head and moved to grab hold of the numerous tail feathers on Ho-Oh's body to re-stabilize itself.

As Marshadow was panting in exhaustion, it expected many outcomes for this fight; some with itself winning, many with itself losing, but none of them imagined itself coming at a draw with Ho-Oh.

That was, until, Marshadow noticed the entire area getting unusual around itself, as it was suddenly taken up a massive, lengthy flight of stairs as it was suddenly dropped onto the floor at the very top; Ho-Oh, moving itself to perch onto a giant tower at the very end of the hall itself, suddenly caused the dim, silver constructed floor and spires to suddenly glow an intense gold, as before it manifested the physical form of the Creator Itself.

 _ **"Welcome, Marshadow, to the Hall of Origin; your fight with Ho-Oh has come to an end."**_ Arceus began to speak down towards Marshadow, as an immense power from the Alpha Mythical Pokémon filled Marshadow as it fully healed it from its injuries and fatigue. Marshadow, moving to stand up and gawk at the imposing Mythical Pokémon before itself, was amazed as to the horse-like figure of Arceus as its many plates surrounded its body.

 _ **"I know why you have sought to challenge my Herald in the way you did; you wished to ascend up into this realm like all of us; to be a true Mythical Pokémon like any other. Is that not what you wish?"**_  Arceus asked Marshadow, as Marshadow caught its breath as it looked at Arceus with a slight fear, but slowly gulped a bit before regaining its own composure.

"I assure you, that was not my full intent, Arceus; I wished to challenge Ho-Oh and experience the power of its own aura at first hand, but I never expected its power to be anything like what I had witnessed during my many battles before arriving here." Marshadow spoke, as it was clearly still somewhat shaken by the amount of fighting it had engaged in to get this far. Arceus, simply chuckling in response to Marshadow's nervousness, looked down towards it.

 _ **"Then you feel yourself unable to accept this offer so soon, then?"**_ Arceus asked, as Marshadow looked towards the intense, but calm gaze of the four eyed God before it, as Marshadow simply nodded its response to it.

 _ **"Very well… If you do wish to ascend after all, I will simply give you one true task; to eventually fight my Herald once again, and to see to it that you come out victorious in the end, no strings attached."**_  Arceus spoke towards Marshadow, as it slowly looked over towards Ho-Oh again. "Take Marshadow back home, I feel it needs rest like all of the others that fought this day for your presence." Arceus spoke, as Ho-Oh moved its head, before giving an acknowledging call towards its Creator. Suddenly flying down from its perch and grabbing Marshadow, it began to fly back down towards the mortal realm below, as the Hall of Origin faded into time and space once more.

As Marshadow was taken back towards the Pokémon World below again, it could feel the comfort in Ho-Oh's feathers, as its tired mind was beginning to doze off on the fly back home, where it belonged after all of this time spent fighting.

As it drew into a slumber, it did not feel itself wake up at all just yet. It slept for what felt like ages, and who knows how long it stayed dormant for; all it could remember was that it eventually faded away as time moved on, and its battle with Ho-Oh having been done before its ascension. Something, however, felt off. It felt like a part of itself stayed behind after its ascension.

Something that was beginning to stir and wake up in the bright, autumn morning of Nuvema Town after an unknown amount of time since then. Waking up and moving out of bed, a boy moved to get dressed as he began to prepare himself for that day; he was dressing as if preparing to head out, having brought a back out and setting it on his bed.

Slowly walking downstairs after getting dressed, he moved to shower himself off before moving into the kitchen and beginning to prepare a welcoming breakfast for someone else currently still asleep in another room. A part of the boy told him that today was going to finally be the day he was waiting for after so many years and so many delays.

Ash Ketchum, as well as his childhood friends Cheren and Bianca, would begin their Pokémon journey on this very day.

**To Be Continued...**


	66. Chapter 65: Freeze Badge: Ash VS Brycen

Ash was silent as he gazed upon the massive, idle form of the bizarre entity before him; Celesteela was calm and quiet, yet it had an air around itself that caused Ash's senses to numb; he was only barely able to register the red aura exhaling from it. That, however, was not because of the Pokémon being filled with any malice; that wasn't the aura that showed up when he searched the entity's soul.

It's rather the explosive, Heartsoul-like boost in energy that flared up around Celesteela that gave its whole body a clear as day, crimson aura on the surface for everyone to see. Ash trembled a bit at the sight before him; Victini's concern over facing this unknown entity made both it and Ash disturbed. Sure, Ash already had to deal with two other Ultra Beasts, but this one was truly alien to him.

Just like the mysterious, glass-like creature that Ghetsis' Type: Null was having pinned, Celesteela had a non-existent aura within its body; if it did have an aura in this regard, Ash was unable to determine it at all, and even the observing Hilbert, who tried to do the same trick as Ash, was also unable to find any normal aura from Celesteela.

"Are you afraid, Ketchum?" Brycen asked, in a cold, seemingly sinister albeit harsh tone. Ash shook his head no, but Brycen was quick to shoot him a glare.

"Are you sure? You're not even remotely concerned how I do not have any command over this Beast?" Brycen inquired, as Ash remained quiet as the two were busy keeping their eyes locked onto each other's gaze.

"Curious is it, that the older cousin of my self-proclaimed student shows no fear; an honest man shows an honest aura, doesn't he, Alain?" Brycen brought up, as Ash simply blinked, as Alain looked on from the side; his expression, as well as his general posture at the moment, shown him to be weakening in confidence very quickly. Brycen didn't turn his gaze from Ash, as Ash had looked towards Alain with concern; there was more to this than he knew it seemed.

"A clever eye you have there, Ash; I knew Delia was right when she called you her special boy. I'm even certain that Sirius-"

"SHUT UP!" Alain suddenly shouted, but his sudden outburst didn't show anger or rage; it showed fear, as the younger teen was beginning to shake in his boots right now.

"Mind I ask why? Weren't you the one who came up to me four years ago asking for me to train you? You wanted to be brave, strong, and respected as a trainer, just like everyone else you knew, and just like how Ash here is and-"

"Alright Brycen if you don't shut up I'm going to make Ash have you shut up for you." Giselle suddenly barked from the audience as Billie jumped in her seat in response to this. Misty and Iris exchanged glances in confusion, while Hilbert and Hilda both turned to themselves with a blush.

"… Ash?" Cheren finally spoke up from where he stood with Bianca.

"Yeah?" Ash spoke up, with Victini waiting on standby as Ash's subtle, but awakening aura beginning to shroud Victini with a powerful coat of aura.

"Just get to the battle already." Bianca spoke up, causing Cheren to raise an eye.

"Can we get back to the point now, please?" Brycen asked, not having heard Cheren and Bianca.

"YES!" Both of them and Ash suddenly shouted towards Brycen, as Victini suddenly exploded in a fiery aura as it flew at the massive, lumbering form of Celesteela with a powerful, gracing flight with its giant ears having fire form at the edges of them. Celesteela, moving to use both of its arms to shield itself, was taken aback by the sheer force in which Victini had crashed through its attempt to guard itself, as Victini caused Celesteela to fall backwards after smashing into its chest region.

Before an immediate ring out could occur, a sudden blast of fire exhaled from the palms and lower portion of Celesteela's body, as it propelled itself into the air and back into the ring; as Victini intensified its own aura to progressively fly faster into Celesteela's torso, trying its best to push the Ultra Beast out of the ring, Victini continuously got faster and stronger all on its own as its fiery head continued to burn harder.

 _ **((YOU WON'T GET THROUGH ME THAT EASILY!))**_ Victini's thoughts echoed through the room, as it suddenly flew up and back further away from Celesteela, its bright V-shaped ears burning with intense flames.  _ **((V-CREATE!))**_ Victini shouted, before its ears lit up with an immense inferno, as it suddenly tackled into Celesteela's chest to knock the colossal Ultra Beast out of the ring and into a pool of icy cold water contained within the gym just behind Brycen.

Brycen didn't even flinch as Victini flew back to Ash's side of the battlefield, as Brycen simply remained stoic with the glare he had towards Ash.

"I'm noticing all of your friends are here from what I've been able to tell." Brycen said as he gazed upon everyone watching; from the corner of his eye, he could see Giselle, of all people, dragging Alain out of the building as Billie, Iris, and Bianca were laughing as to whatever poor fate Brycen knew Alain was in for.

"… Before the subject strays from my mind, Ash; why did you accept Alain into your life so casually?" Brycen asked, as Ash blinked.

"My mom never did talk about either my dad's or her own relatives at all, so actually being able to see a relative of mine in person was different for me when I met him a few days ago. He has a good amount of potential as a trainer." Ash spoke, as he was met with a sudden, hostile gaze from Brycen as his next Pokémon was sent out in the form of a spiky, icicle covered shrew-like Pokémon with razor sharp, very long claws.

"He has potential you said? Tell that to this Sandslash here; you'd think his Charizard would have no issue against an Ice/Steel Type, correct?" Brycen brought up as the Sandslash looked dead on towards Victini with absolute focus, but did not budge an inch.

As Billie noticed her parents lurking in the background, she was quick to send out her prized Arbok to quickly drag the two out into the open. "Mom? Dad? Why are you two hiding even to this day?"

"You have to remember Billie that they're still technically wanted men, right?" Brycen shouted over towards the three casually.

"Three?! Make that four!" Meowth piped up as he shoved Arbok away from him, all the while James and Jessie looked towards Brycen with a bit of shock and concern.

"Who were you speaking to just- Never mind, forget I asked." Brycen said as he focused his attention back on Ash.

"Hey, Ashie-boy; that Sandslash Brycen has doesn't look normal; I'm used to it being tan and brown, but this? This looks like the cold north cousin of the Sandslash I knew from back home." Meowth said towards Ash.

"Well, honestly, Ice/Steel or not, I don't understand why Alain's Charizard would have a problem with it and-"

"You fool!" Brycen shouted, his tone startling as Sandslash suddenly rushed forward as a mixture of rock and ice suddenly smashed into Victini into a singular, combined trapped, before suddenly exploding upon Victini as Sandslash reemerged from underground. As Victini was knocked back beside Ash's feet, Ash was quiet in calmly picking it back up, and carefully taking a moment to tend to its wounds before sending Victini back to its Poké Ball.

"Alain has confidence issues; Alain is often afraid of Pokémon that have an advantage against his own; even when facing a Pokémon who he knows he has the advantaged against, he doesn't realize until too late that said Pokémon may have an easy counter for his own Pokémon." Brycen told off Ash, as Ash's eyes widened a bit as the aura he detected from Brycen was a bit redder than what he had seen from the man prior. However, before he could say much, Brycen turned his attention towards Misty all of a sudden.

"You there! Are you familiar with the almighty stone that is Brock?! He who had used a Steelix in the face of the Legendary Pokémon Heatran during the last World Tournament and came out completely unscathed by Heatran's burning heat?!" Brycen called out towards Misty, as Misty was shaken a bit at the sudden call towards her only for herself to give a confirming nod to Brycen.

As Ash called for Altair, the Aura Pokémon jumped onto the field and braced himself to face Sandslash; all of a sudden, though, as Altair detected the same aura from Brycen that Ash had as well, Altair's expression grew feral as he suddenly let loose an ungodly howl before an entire eruption of aura ignited around him. Brycen's eyes widened, as Altair looked visibly incredibly injured from the little stunt, all the while Brycen prepared to call forth the different Poké Balls he had at his belt.

" _ **Here we go."**_

In a rapid, swift motion, Altair was quick to deliver an uppercut to Sandslash; the Mouse Pokémon only had a split chance to react, as it quickly dodged out of the way of a spinning kick from Altair. However, even Sandslash's sheer speed was unprepared for Altair's even more absurd speed; as Altair quickly fired a sphere of aura from his hands, he was quick with following up by channeling and then launching a much larger sphere of aura. Altair's rapid fire of the two different spheres caught Sandslash off guard, as the smaller projectile knocked it into the center of the arena, before the larger sphere made contact and exploded against Sandslash.

Brycen didn't waste time with sending out another Pokémon; a large, frigid golem with a lack of a face, its sturdy appearance and build allowed it to use its large, three digit arms to parry each of the repeated punches, kicks, and jabs at the Pokémon's frigid body, but it was beginning to crack apart as Altair repeatedly continued to attack; his attacks becoming more intense as the frigid Pokémon was suddenly kicked into the icy pool just outside of the ring. Another Pokémon was sent out next, in the form of a large, sauropod-like Pokémon which immediately summoned forth a blizzard around itself and the whole room.

The sharp, painful hiss of Altair could be heard as Ash used his aura to see what was going on; Altair's bright, blue aura was seen in his view, as he noticed the Pokémon's equally blue aura pulsing with each repeated, powerful punch, kick, or jab from Altair. Altair's aura, though, caught Ash off guard as a piercing red emerged from his hands; Altair's claws swiftly and brutally hacked and slashed at the sauropod Pokémon before itself, as it was knocked outside of the ring with its tail grabbed by Altair, before spinning and throwing it out into the pool.

"What's going on, Ash?" Hilbert asked, as he could partially see Ash's concern via how Ash's own aura was reacting, as well as the fact Altair's aura was showing abnormal signs of behavior he hadn't seen from Altair beforehand.

"I don't know; it's odd, but it doesn't appear Altair's mind is different at all despite that… this is strange…" Ash spoke up, as Altair landed before him and sheathed his claws. Ash moved to quietly rub Altair's head and ears to calm him down, as Altair suddenly twisted and turned towards him to glance at him. Ash froze in place, but Altair simply maintained his glare towards Ash; the narrow slits of his eyes made him look far more intimidating than he normally was. Almost like…

"R-Regulus..." Ash mumbled a bit, as Altair snapped out of his hostile gaze from Ash, as he averted his line of sight from Ash before turning to face Brycen's next Pokémon. In the form of a large, aquatic reptile, this new Pokémon suddenly charged and exploded with a fierce energy around itself; the Pokémon's eyes looked hostile despite the gentle demeanor the rest of its appearance had. As it suddenly caused the icy pool around itself to rise up and collapse upon Altair, the Transport Pokémon suddenly charged forward as Altair was submerged in the icy water.

As a powerful, immense vortex shook around Altair as Altair tucked in his arms and legs to curl up into a ball to shield himself from as much damage as possible, the Transport Pokémon before him had the vortex rapidly and violently throw Altair around as the Pokémon attacking occasionally smashed its heavy weight into Altair as the vortex remained. The vortex suddenly collapsed as the icy water exploded and fell back into the pool. The sudden, hot temperatures the water now had caused the air to be shrouded in mist.

"Altair!" Ash called, as Altair was visibly panting as his body had numerous, open wounds near his aura scorched veins, as Altair was regaining his breath as he suddenly absorbed his own, exploding aura into himself as his skin and sharp hide regenerated from the injuries to the best of the aura absorbed could do. Brycen's eyes widened as he looked at Altair curiously.

"… Clever…" Brycen said, before his Transport Pokémon was suddenly struck with a massive, sphere of aura suddenly crashing into it and knocking it into the heating pool. However, once this Pokémon was knocked out, from the warming pool emerged the large, powerful front paws of a larger Pokémon climbing out and walking into the arena.

"So; you've managed to defeat Sandslash, Regice, Aurorus, and Lapras just fine; but can you withstand the heat that is Warlord-Beartic?!" Brycen called towards Ash and Altair, as Warlord-Beartic entered the field and let out a loud, powerful roar as its presence towered over Altair's own height. As Altair extended his claws again, Altair's gaze suddenly turned feral as he suddenly jumped up into the air to attack Warlord-Beartic. As Warlord-Beartic spewed a massive, yet frigid, flame into the air, Altair managed to dodge and slash away at Warlord-Beartic's armored eye, causing the massive, bipedal polar bear Pokémon from being able to properly see where Altair was landing beside its right leg.

As Altair focused his two arms to grab hold of Warlord-Beartic's leg, his aura burned from his hands in a sharp, electrical shock as the Goliath Pokémon was suddenly limp in its right leg, before it lazily tried to get out of Altair's grasp, only to fall on the ground and collapse. As the Warlord Pokémon suddenly fell into an unconscious state, Altair jumped up into the air, sharply stomping on the Pokémon's head to knock it out, before walking back over towards Ash with his unusual, hostile gaze still in check.

"Are you afraid, Ash?" Brycen asked, as Ash looked towards Altair with wide eyes, as he slowly, but hesitantly, moved a hand to carefully, but affectionately, pet Altair's snout, as Altair could be heard growling a bit as his vocalizations turned into a hostile, but content purring as his eyes calmed down enough for him to recognize Ash as his trainer and not an enemy. As Brycen could be heard clapping as he returned each of his Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls, Brycen walked over towards Ash with a calm, albeit still stern, gaze.

"So you are indeed your father's son; not in a bad sense like Drayden had mistakenly thought, though." Brycen told Ash, as he handed Ash his 7th Badge. "The Freeze Badge is the second to last badge in Unova's Pokémon League; all that remains for you to acquire is the Legend Badge, and thus you will be granted eligibility to enter the Pokémon League." Brycen told Ash, as Ash nodded as he took the badge quietly.

"Thanks for helping me realize a few things with this whole experience… I will admit, I didn't know what to do once I began to realize Cheren and Bianca were both beginning to pursue their own dreams separate from my own, but that doesn't make me any less of their best friend." Ash said, as he turned to look at Cheren and Bianca, who gave him an affirmative nod, as Ash turned his gaze back towards Brycen. "Thank you for opening my eyes to some of my fears regarding the future, Brycen." Ash said to the older gym leader, as Brycen frowned a bit.

"I'm afraid you couldn't be any more on the nose regarding how your fears with your future will end up being, Ash… I'm not sure if you've taken notice yet so far, but have you ever noticed anything from Drayden or any Gym Leaders directly affiliated with him? How each of them, myself included, were pushing you to your very limits of your abilities, each of us stronger than the last?" Brycen asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Good, then you partially already know why the Legend Badge will be a problem to acquire; the Gym Leaders feared you since day one of your journey, because we did not know how to respond to an Aura Guardian being among us in a time where Team Plasma wants to know hunt them down, claiming they're only thinking of the innocent Pokémon as they had slaughtered entire bloodlines to extinction behind the scenes." Brycen said, as he moved to walk out of his gym, as Ash, alongside all of the others, quietly followed and listened in as to what Brycen was saying.

"Honestly I'm surprised you've made it this far; often times we've dealt with people like you, but we've never had anyone like you who has had to deal with the hidden powers show up in decades. Indeed, those who are hidden from us can indeed prove rather formidable; robust in power beyond any normal level." Brycen said, as he suddenly shot a glare towards the front of the outside of his gym.

"Isn't that right, Cilan, Chili, and Cress?" Brycen suddenly spoke up, as Ash's eyes widened as in a near, immediate instance, the three, robust and ominous Shadow Triad appeared before everyone; however, this time, they were quick to ditch their masks and reveal their faces. As their eyes appeared green, red, and blue respectively, their faces looked very aged and significantly older than the Striaton Trio were normally known for; it was as if taking the three's pretty boy image and making them look more "tough and manlier" than their normal selves.

"I'm surprised you knew of the three of us by our old names… that world, however, is gone, Brycen, and we hope you respect that…" The leader spoke, as the one with red eyes walked up towards Ash in particular.

"My Pansear… Is he still alright…?" The fiery eyed male spoke, as Ash's eyes widened all of a sudden upon hearing that Pokémon's name.

"S-Simisear… h-he's…" Ash was beginning to say, before he calmed himself down as Misty and Iris both placed a hand on his shoulders respectively. "He's no longer with us…" Ash told "Chili" as he suddenly slunk back towards the other two.

"Very well… I only wished he enjoyed his life to the fullest… As we hope Pansage and Panpour have been doing the same…" The leader spoke, as Meowth walked over towards the three with a glare.

"Alright, fair enough; but why are you here?" Meowth asked, as he unsheathed his claws. The leader took note of the Pokémon's ability to speak with interest before pointing towards Ash.

"Ash; you shall meet N up at Dragonspiral Tower up north from here. Its ruins are sacred towards the Legendary Pokémon of this region; the Dragon of Ideals, the Dragon of Truth… but there is more to that story than meets the eye… What is now two, used to be one…" The leader spoke, before all three members of the Shadow Triad moved to speak.

"We call it the Original Dragon; we know its name; its name is Vahirom."

**To Be Continued.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Ky-nim of DeviantArt for permission to include Vahirom in this story.


	67. Chapter 66: Infinite Gray! Vahirom!

While Ash had hoped to get some kind of answers out of the Shadow Triad, he didn't have a chance before the three of them vanished as Brycen looked on towards Ash and the others.

"Hilbert, you're next, right?" Brycen asked, as Cheren and Bianca were taken aback by how suddenly Brycen dropped his attention on the Shadow Triad, let alone just flat out ignoring them after what they had just said.

"Why that son of a- Never mind, just… just what is Vahirom, anyways?" Cheren asked as he turned his attention to Ash. As Ash shrugged since he was just as clueless on this as his best friend was, Bianca pulled out her Pokédex and immediately typed in Vahirom's name to get any possible results.

"Vahirom, the Infinite Gray Mythical Pokémon. This legendary dragon is said to have helped unite a divided region. During a great war, it split itself apart to form the Dragon of Truth, Reshiram, and the Dragon of Ideals, Zekrom. During this process, something else was left behind in the crater it originally left after having come to this world from nearly 3,000 years ago."

"It seems pretty intimidating to say the least." Bianca muttered up herself, as Ash and Cheren both had a look as to what exactly they were dealing with.

Nearly twice the height of Reshiram and Zekrom, Vahirom stood tall albeit hunched over, with massive arms and wings similar to Zekrom's. The wings had fingers on them, however, and its tail was an odd mixture of Reshiram's mass of fur and Zekrom's more technological turbine. With its head and shoulders armored with frigid, ice-like growths, its head had a yellowish gold horn to match its middle claw on its feet, and the bizarre, connector-like fangs from its back which could "plug" into its own tail and cause its tail to radiate with a powerful, immense light from within.

"That glow… it looks familiar…" Ash said, as he took notice of the bright, gold-like aura of Vahirom in the images shown, as Ash recalled how during his nightmarish confrontation with Ghetsis, he himself had an equally draconic aura of the same type. What did this mean, he thought to himself.

Before he had a chance to say anything else, he could see Iris and Misty aboard Mega Latias, just as the two of them were flying off towards the east. Cheren raised an eye, before he called out Latios and Mega Evolved him into Mega Latios and just as quickly jumped on and flew off after the two.

"Oh my… Haven't seen him that emotion driven since…" Bianca was beginning to say, before her eyes widened in horror as she suddenly called out Braviary from his Poké Ball, before quickly mounting the Flying Type Pokémon and flying off after Cheren, Misty, and Iris. "Hold on guys!" Bianca yelled after Cheren, as Ash could feel an odd sensation of his aura kick up now that, aside from, Altair, Raichu, and the approaching Meowth, he was all alone out in the cold entrance of Brycen's gym.

Ash closed his eyes as he concentrated on drowning out his nearby surroundings, as he focused on a very, very strange aura walking slowly towards the northern parts of Icirrus City. As Ash gazed upon the figure, it slowly looked towards Ash as the masculine figure gestured for him to follow. All of a sudden, the figure vanished from view, as Ash opened his eyes to look down towards Meowth tugging at his jeans.

"Hate to interrupt with your soul searching there, but there's something you'll need to know about Vahirom, so I'll need to make sure you guys will be able to understand it yet alone speak to it at Dragonspiral Tower." Meowth said to Ash, as Ash looked down at him and nodded.

"Alright, lead the way. Altair, Raichu, you two keep an eye out for trouble while we proceed."

" **Right!"**

"Raichu!"

As Ash, Altair, Raichu, and Meowth proceeded up north, they were greeted with a forest trail that surrounded the four of them. Raichu was hovering on his tail with his telekinetic powers, Altair was slowly moving and seemingly trembling for whatever reasons, as Ash was relatively serious with his walk as Meowth was shaking due to the cold.

"Geeze, how do you withstand the cold, Ash?" Meowth asked, as Ash was quick to grab him and pull the Scratch Cat Pokémon underneath his cloak to keep him warm. Meowth sighed as his body was beginning to warm up. "Thank you…"

"No problem." Ash said in a polite tone, as he looked over towards Altair and Raichu. Raichu seemed to be lagging behind, as Altair's shaking was quickly showing to Ash that Altair was seemingly becoming angry; his hands clenched together into a fist as Altair suddenly stopped walking forward.

" **Raichu, mind telling me why you're lagging behind so much?"**  Altair asked Raichu without turning around, as Ash walked up towards Altair with Meowth in tow, as Raichu floated up towards Ash's side and blinked with a child-like expression of confusion.

"Rai?"

" **Yes, you; is there any other Raichu here I could be referring to?"**

"Chu…"

" **For one why do you keep lagging behind like you do? You're stronger than me last I checked!"**

"Raichu!" Raichu spoke up, as Altair turned his back to face Raichu as his glare looked feral as his hands suddenly exploded with a fierce aura. Ash and Meowth looked panicked as to Altair's sudden anger, as Altair shook the ground as he walked up towards Raichu directly to face him. Even with Raichu floating in the air, Altair towered over Raichu with ease as he glared down at the Mouse Pokémon.

" **Raichu; you've felled an Ultra Beast, you've beaten Victini in a fight when you were still an infant, you allegedly fought and defeated my dad while you were just a newborn, and yet you're claiming you're weaker than me?! This coming from the mouth of a Pokémon who had beaten the Legendary Birds of Kanto for crying out loud, you spoiled rat!"** Altair shouted towards Raichu, as Raichu didn't even budge in terms of his confused reaction.

"Rai? Raichu." Raichu finally spoke up, as Altair suddenly placed his palm against his forehead. Ash and Meowth, meanwhile, were preparing a bonfire as the weather was beginning to look somewhat worse for wear; Dragonspiral Tower was nowhere near in sight, and Ash and Meowth were preparing a camp as Ash called out Samurott, Unfezant, Victini, and Krookodile from their Poké Balls. Zekrom was hiding in Ash's bag, as it floated out as the Dark Stone before suddenly beginning to unravel in energy and re-forge itself into its Legendary Pokémon form it's known for.

"Guys, I know Dragonspiral Tower is a big priority for us, but can't we all take the time to calm our heads after what we've experienced earlier today?" Ash asked of his Pokémon, as Altair looked over towards Ash as did Raichu. Zekrom looked further north as his eyes narrowed a bit. As Ash took out his Xtransceiver as he dialed a certain number, he was able to take Victini's Poké Ball and suddenly have it disappear into thin air, as the Poké Ball used to contain Zekrom materialized in its place.

" **Victini did well for what it could, but it got carried away with using such a powerful move too soon."** Altair spoke up towards Ash, as Ash was getting some pans, mix, and other ingredients out of his bag as he also prepared plates for each of his Pokémon here.

 **(I don't see the problem, Altair, you're the one getting shilled out as of late anyways.)**  Victini spoke up towards Altair.

"Victini." Ash quietly spoke up.

" **Honestly Victini I think you got too carried away just like chubby right there!"**  Altair began to speak in a growling voice towards the Mythical Pokémon.

"Rairai!" Raichu growled as his cheeks sparked with electricity towards Altair, as Altair shot him a glare.

" **Don't think we're not going to get anywhere near as much pancakes here as YOU would, Raichu; your entire diet consists of nothing but the sweetest, buttery pancakes in the whole region!"**  Altair shouted, as Ash was quietly focusing on cooking the pancakes he was preparing for each of his Pokémon.

"Altair, calm down please." Ash spoke up, as he glanced at Victini again. "And, Victini…?" Ash asked, as Victini turned his way.

 **(Yes, Hero of Ideals?)**  Victini asked, as Ash pointed towards each of his Pokémon; once towards Raichu, Samurott, Altair, Unfezant, Krookodile, and Zekrom. Victini, noticing how Ash had six Pokémon outside of just itself, remained quiet as Ash got Victini's Poké Ball back into his hand as it materialized from a light from his Xtransceiver.

[Victini's Poké Ball unsealed. Victini is now free.] Ash's Xtransceiver spoke up, as Victini's eyes widened as Ash gave Victini a nod.

 **(Y-You're… You're giving me my freedom back…?)**  Victini asked, sounding rather humbled by what Ash was implying. As Ash gave a silent nod, as he resumed making pancakes, moved to place some of the finished servings on a plate and hand it to Victini. The Victory Mythical Pokémon moved to grab it with its hands, as Victini quietly began to eat quietly. Victini closed its eyes as it relished the taste of the food as it ate away calmly, before quickly chomping down the remainder of it.

 **(Thank you, Hero of Ideals… I-I… I wish I knew what to say…)**  Victini said, as it handed the empty plate to Ash. Unfezant, moving to keep an eye on the fire and cooking, watched as Ash moved up to hug Victini all of a sudden, as tears fell from his eyes. Victini was shocked, but it returned the embrace just as cautiously and began to cry.

"I'm going to miss you, Victini; it's not my call to choose whether a Mythical Pokémon stays by my side or not. You deserve your freedom after how little I've felt I'm qualified to be your trainer." Ash told Victini, as Victini's sobbing could be heard still, all the while Ash let go of the Mythical Pokémon as Victini kept its embrace going for a while longer, before moving to let go of Ash and slowly move to hover into the air backwards.

" **Thank you… Ash…"**  Victini spoke, as tears were still falling from its eyes as it suddenly began to appear to vanish into thin air; flickering in and out of existence, Victini slowly began to fly away into the air towards the south, before vanishing completely after being far enough away from the group.

[My senses detect unease in Ash Ketchum. Are you alright?] Krookodile asked Ash as he spoke up, as Ash moved to take care of cooking again once he regained his stability after what he had decided to do. Krookodile remained quiet, but as Ash began to serve all six of them with plates of pancakes, with Raichu naturally getting a larger serving, Ash finally spoke up once everyone began to eat.

"I-I'm fine, Krookodile, thanks for checking up on me." Ash spoke up, his voice quiet as he watched as his whole team began to quietly sit down and eat. Ash, after watching everyone else eat, eventually served himself as he began to eat as well. Altair looked at Raichu chowed down on his pancakes, as Altair looked at his own serving of pancakes and sighed; he didn't feel like eating after his nasty temper shown earlier, as Altair watched as Raichu quickly finished his double serving of pancakes, before Altair suddenly gaze his full plate to Raichu.

" **You can have this; it's an apology for earlier."**  Altair spoke up, his voice having calmed down, as Raichu blinked, but nevertheless nodded with a tearful gaze.

"Rai! Raichu!" Raichu cheered up, as it moved a hand to pat Altair on the shoulders affectionately in thanks, before Altair gave the all clear to have Raichu begin eating his own serving. As Altair watched and waited for everyone to begin eating, Altair was shocked when he saw Meowth had also been served a batch of pancakes, and had already finished eating.

"Wow, Ash sure knows how to make these well, doesn't he?" Meowth asked, as Altair looked at him and nodded.

" **He knows best in this regard, his Raichu is proof of that."**  Altair spoke up, as Meowth began to chuckle a little, as Ash's other Pokémon began to chuckle with their vocalization as well. Ash chuckled a bit as well, as he finished up eating and got everything packed back up once everyone else was finished. As Ash called Unfezant, Samurott, Krookodile, and Zekrom back to their respective Poké Balls, Ash looked towards Meowth, Raichu and Altair.

"Let's get a move on, shall we?" Ash asked all three of them, as Altair, Raichu, and Meowth nodded.

As Ash began to walk further ahead, he couldn't help but notice the sensation of the aura he had begun to feel.

"Are you alone?" A voice asked Ash after he began to walk forward more. As Ash's Pokémon didn't seem to hear it, Ash only gave a nod; after he did, Ash could see that the trail up ahead was beginning to clear up, and that a large, tall tower was becoming visible in plain view. Dragonspiral Tower now made itself known to Ash, as Ash walked forward into the ancient building as he gazed up towards it. A blizzard began as Ash, Altair, Raichu, and Meowth rushed inside to seek shelter.

"So you are alone. Good. Arise to the top of this tower; someone else is waiting for you." The voice spoke up again, as Ash nodded; he now realized that his friends wouldn't have been able to accompany him here, as now he proceeded to walk through the cavernous ruins to seek his way towards the top. The tower looked like it would, being in the middle of a frozen over lake, as many icy formations appeared around the walls and ceilings.

As Ash was able to walk forward and proceed, using Altair and Raichu to push and move obstacles out of the way as he did, Ash watched as the two carefully moved ruined structures as to give Ash a stairway to the upper floors. Ash continued to ascend the numerous floors of the tower. At about halfway towards the top, Ash could hear a large, powerful roar coming from Reshiram up above.

"Yes! Burn baby burn!" N's voice could be heard shouting, as Ash's mind thought that was an odd thing for N to say. Perhaps N was just thanking Reshiram for warming up the area, as Ash could tell with the tower's insides warming up as Ash proceeded upwards. Meowth gulped a bit in nervousness.

"I don't think I like the sound of Reshiram above…" Meowth said, as Ash looked towards Meowth with a sigh.

"If anything fishy happens, I'll be here to protect you." Ash said, as he continued to climb the upper floors of the tower. As Ash, Raichu, Altair, and Meowth finally reached the upper floor, they were greeted by the sight of N waiting for them.

"I've been waiting for you, Ash Ketchum." N said, as he walked towards the inner parts of the room with an exposed opening in the ceiling and wall up ahead. Reshiram stood in place as its tail was burning with raw energy, as Reshiram's whole form was cloaked in reddish flame. In front of it, though, Ash noticed Reshiram forming half of its Light Stone before itself.

" **Ash, be careful with this; we don't know what to expect here**." Altair spoke up, as Ash looked at him and nodded. Ash motioned for him and Raichu to stick towards the side with Meowth, all the while Ash grabbed Zekrom's Poké Ball and quickly sent it out and in front of Reshiram. As Zekrom let out a powerful roar, Zekrom's tail turbine began to charge in energy as its body became coated in a blueish electrical current. Before the front of it, half of the Dark Stone materialized before it.

Ash and N both watched as Reshiram and Zekrom pushed their respective halves of their Dragon Stones together into a singular, white and black sphere. As it combined together and took form, Reshiram and Zekrom both collapsed from exhaustion, as both of them transformed into two halves of a single stone; however, instead of white and black respectively, both of them formed into gray colored shells that proceeded to coat around their fused Light and Dark Stones.

Suddenly the twin, gray colored pieces connected to each other and contained the white and black core, suddenly a powerful, golden aura began to emanate from this particular stone. The stone, suddenly circulating in energy, suddenly began to awaken and stir; transforming and taking the shape of a massive, towering gray dragon, both Ash and N could hear its heartbeat suddenly begin to pulsate.

Just as the Mythical Infinite Gray Pokémon suddenly made itself known, as it suddenly stretched itself out of the fetal position it materialized from; its powerful, golden energy escaping from its body as it did. As it landed on the ground, Ash and N watched with surprise as the Pokémon, none other than Vahirom, suddenly roared with an intensity matching that of both Reshiram and Zekrom's combined. As Vahirom extended spikes from its shoulders into its tail to plug each of them in, Vahirom's tail suddenly began to glow an intense, gold aura as Vahirom suddenly exploded with a bright, intense light that filled the entire room.

As Vahirom filled the room and all of its occupants with a powerful, shining energy of light, the Infinite Gray Mythical Pokémon suddenly calmed itself as its tail stopped glowing as its shoulder spikes detached. As Vahirom let out a powerful, intimidating growl towards Ash and N, Ash's face gleamed as Vahirom was fully formed, all the while N smirked as he strafed in movement.

"Unbelievable! N, we did i-"

A quick, suddenly chop of the side of N's hand hit a sensitive nerve on Ash's back, all the while Altair and Raichu's expression suddenly turned into sheer worry and shock as to what N did, as they both watched as Ash moved to collapse on the floor due to the sheer shock his body felt from the hit. As Ash slipped unconscious, N moved to walk up towards Vahirom as he suddenly jumped up and climbed onto its massive neck.

"Come on, Vahirom; it is almost time to make my perfect world." N spoke up, as Vahirom let out a powerful roar as it suddenly moved to lift off into the air, as Altair was quick to try and fire a sphere of aura towards Vahirom with Raichu suddenly firing off a bolt of lightning towards Vahirom; neither of the two liked how they were suddenly double crossed in such a state of weakness. As Meowth got out of the way and moved to wake Ash up from unconsciousness, he was successful with making Ash stir and began to regain his footing.

"N… w-why did you do that…" Ash mumbled to himself, as he slowly moved to stand; he watched as Vahirom had long flown off towards places unknown further north, as Altair and Raichu looked towards each other with a horrified, but otherwise agreeing nod as they looked towards Meowth.

" **Meowth, any answers as to what just happened?!"** Altair asked, as Meowth looked nervous as if debating how to try and answer this.

"That's the thing, guys… Vahirom's neither Reshiram nor Zekrom anymore. It saw N as its true trainer, a-and..." Meowth said, as Ash, Altair, and Raichu were listening.

"It also said, just before it flew off; 'All hail Ghetsis'."

**To Be Continued.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Ky-nim of DeviantArt for permission to include Vahirom in this story. I know I credited her last chapter, but this chapter is when Vahirom physically appeared so I figured I'd credit her twice.


	68. Chapter 67: Relic Castle

He should have felt angered, he should have felt betrayed.

Ash was feeling those emotions too well, but he did well with hiding them from Raichu, Altair, and Meowth. He couldn't help but begin to recall what had happened earlier that day, which made him recall how this had happened.

_**One hour earlier…** _

Ash had followed N all the way down to the southern half of Unova, riding astride Zekrom's back the whole time as a sandstorm now hit both him and Zekrom during the flight. Up ahead, he could see N and Reshiram flying, with Reshiram looking ready to land, and Ash maneuvering Zekrom to land as well right next to it. As Ash got off of Zekrom's back, he used his cloak as a hood to shield himself from the sandstorm.

"So, N, what's the hurry we had to come down here?" Ash asked, as he looked towards N.

"I got contacted in my mind from a former Pokémon of mine; Sigilyph had messaged me that some strange man was abusing Pokémon in this area, shouting something about a "God Stone" or the like. It might be related to Reshiram's Light Stone." N said, as Reshiram looked downhill towards a large set of ruins.

"Should we head down into those ruins and check it out?" Ash asked, as N nodded.

"Yes, we must." N answered Ash, as N jumped down the cliff and skid down the slope, as Ash moved to do the same. As Ash sent out Krookodile to accompany him through here, N was startled a bit by Krookodile's appearance, due to what he had last seen of him, but that was the least of his worries.

As Ash and N arrived at the entrance of the ruins, it appeared that they moved down into the lower floor into what appeared to be a giant, upper floor of some kind of castle. Long since having past its prime and mostly buried underneath the sand, Ash and N walked in as they both noticed a distinct set of footsteps, as Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan them.

The Pokédex pulled up Genesect, with not one, but two specimens having appeared in the nearby area. The Pokédex scanned the surroundings, as it told Ash that on the lowest floor one specimen was present, with another one just a few floors down.

"… We should hurry." Ash said, as he rushed forward with Krookodile following from behind. N remained hesitant, though, in regards to following Ash; Genesect still disturbed him ever since that last encounter. Perhaps this wasn't a good idea, perhaps-

"You."

A dark, grim, powerful deep voice spoke towards N from behind. N turned around as he noticed the tall, imposing figure of Ghetsis before him; N, though, didn't look afraid of Ghetsis.

"Oh, it has been a while since we last talked, hasn't it?"

"You… You're the one who kidnapped my sisters and ousted me from Team Plasma!" N spoke up, as Ghetsis' gaze turned into an odd confusion.

"Whaaat? Who told you that? You never even came home since a good few days ago; you just suddenly vanished without a trace, and I've been searching all of Unova trying to find you." Ghetsis told N, his tone oddly sincere despite his growling baritone.

"You're lying… You can't be telling the truth…" N told Ghetsis, as Ghetsis backed away at the accusation, as he placed a hand on his chest and chuckled a bit.

"Me? A liar? No, no, no… I am a man of my word, remember? Did I not say that I would give Bianca her Pokémon back had she showed up within the next 48 hours? N, listen to me, I may preach about how Pokémon liberation is something we all need, but I wouldn't have given Munna back had I not meant my word, son." Ghetsis told N, as N's eyes loosened with how narrow they were.

"Then why did you and Genesect team up, yet alone that ungodly beast you have as well?" N asked, as Ghetsis sighed as he had moved to grab a Poké Ball from his belt, and quietly let out his large, three headed Hydreigon from it, as Hydreigon was disturbingly calm and quiet all things considered; the sight of Hydreigon unnerved N, but Ghetsis was quick to pat Hydreigon's chin before Hydreigon could be heard growling. N could understand what Hydreigon was saying, but…

"It wants to kill people… why?" N asked Ghetsis, as Ghetsis looked down and sighed.

"I'm afraid that is simply how Hydreigon behaves; it is violent and brutal by nature, even with a kind trainer beside it. This Hydreigon you see, he was on the verge of execution by Alder for his violence. The Champion of Unova, calling for the death of a Pokémon so callously…" Ghetsis said, as N didn't move from his stiff stance.

"I'm still not buying this a whole lot; why is Genesect even alive?" N asked, as Ghetsis gasped in horror; the surprise Ghetsis had took N by surprise.

"Genesect?! Here?! How many of them? Is it the whole pack?! Colress told me 5 of them got lose after I told him to stop the experiments, and now he's off doing who knows what with a women and her giant avian Pokémon."

"Only two of them are here, dad…" N told Ghetsis, as Ghetsis breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew… Do not scare me like that again, son… two I can handle, but all five at once I would be no match for with trying to restrain." Ghetsis said, as N's body relaxed as he kept his gaze upon Ghetsis.

"Father, that still doesn't change why you and your forces attacked me back home…" N said, as Ghetsis noticed a certain Poké Ball on N's belt.

"A Premier Ball… On your belt of all places? Where have I-… Oh yeah, that's right..." Ghetsis asked, as he leaned down to face the Poké Ball, "You're the one lying to my son, aren't you?" Ghetsis asked, waving a hand as he did, as out from the Premier Ball, Zoroark suddenly emerged in human form, as N looked upon Zoroark with confusion.

"Z-Zoroark…?" N asked, as Zoroark looked upon N with a cold glare.

"You never went home that day, N; what you had seen with Team Plasma's "true" colors was all an illusion, solely to make it so Reshiram would be tricked into awakening for you… I showed you a lie of what Team Plasma truly is; hostile, violent beasts, who have no ability to be reasonable, just to see if you would react as if you even remotely knew how the real world worked." Zoroark said, as he walked over towards Ghetsis, as N looked at the pair in surprise.

"N needs to learn that the world is not black and white, doesn't he?" Ghetsis asked Zoroark, as Zoroark nodded.

"Indeed; he views Team Plasma as being a villain due to my little test, feeling they could be nothing else but evil. Likewise, he immediately tried to view Ash and his friends as truly heroic, and yet at the same time, N, don't you recall a certain incident regarding the one named Hilbert?" Zoroark asked N, as Zoroark blinked.

"The guy dating Hilda?"

"You mean the guy who used to date Misty, actually." Zoroark said, as N's eyes widened.

"W-What…? Why would Misty date someone other than Ash?"

"More like why Ash manipulated Misty into ditching Hilbert and joining his side. Do you not see that bizarre creature called a Digimon, that 'MetalGarurumon' that Tempest is? Do you want to know the true reason he was there?" Zoroark asked, as N nodded, as Ghetsis listened.

"Tempest was there in a rigged Pokémon Battle between Ash and Hilbert; Ash had desired to take Misty for himself, and Hilbert was willing to part ways with Misty if Ash had beaten him in a Pokémon Battle. In the fight, Ash didn't use Samurott as his final Pokémon, but rather, he used the Digimon Tempest is known as for his final slot in that fight." Zoroark said, as N's eyes widened.

"It couldn't have been, could it?" N asked, as he looked towards Ghetsis.

"Indeed; that's exactly what happened. You were led to believe that Ash and his friends were good, noble people; when your back is turned, they're nothing more than horrible people. Two men betting on something for a woman would be one thing, but the fact the woman was gladly taking part in that little game? Heinous, absolutely heinous. How do you think poor Hilbert feels now that he lost everything he once had?" Ghetsis told N, as N blinked at the heavy nature of all of this entering his mind.

"I don't understand… How could Ash and his friends do such things behind my backs…?" N asked, as Ghetsis set a hand on N's shoulder, as the comfort he showed seemed genuine oddly enough.

"Relax, N; you still have many things to learn about this world; you decided to take a risk with venturing out beyond home without any of our knowledge, but now it's time for you to come home to us all, before Ash can do any more harm to you any further." Ghetsis said.

"I can't, not yet." N said, as Zoroark blinked.

"Why not?"

"Because Ash still has Zekrom by his side."

"… So that's why he wanted to head down here, isn't it? To seek out the God Stone? Too bad he won't find it down there, when it's right here." Ghetsis spoke up, as Ghetsis pulled out from his robe a small, core-like sphere, far smaller than the Light and Dark Stones, as it appeared to be a pure, solid gray.

"What do you mean?" N asked Ghetsis, as Zoroark moved to suddenly strike out with a fiery stream of energy. Suddenly N turned around, and saw Altair yelp in a deep, snarling voice was he was knocked back by the flames, before Zoroark rushed forward and teleported around Altair in a rapid motion, as Altair moved to charge a sphere of aura before it suddenly exploded on himself, causing him to fall over in pain.

"H-How long was he there?!" N asked, as he only noticed just now the footprints from Altair.

"He used him to mind control you into this, didn't he? Isn't that right?" Zoroark asked N, as N's mind cleared of thoughts of a sudden; now that he thought about it, why did he want to come here? Was it perhaps the God Stone calling out to him, but why though?

"I… I think you're right; what do I need to do to liberate him of Zekrom?" N asked, as Ghetsis coughed to get his son's attention, as Ghetsis presented the God Stone to his son.

"Use this; it is the core of the Mythical Pokémon Vahirom. Many centuries ago, the Harmonia Lineage was one of the rulers of the land; united by a single Dragon Pokémon named Vahirom. When two of the siblings feuded with each other, however, it split apart into Reshiram and Zekrom. The God Stone, however, is the only trace remaining that can allow us to bring back Vahirom." Ghetsis told N, as he handed him the God Stone.

"Take this, and head to Dragonspiral Tower up further north from here; use it to channel Reshiram's powers into it, in which case Ash will do the same with Zekrom. Ash does not know you already have the God Stone, meaning when he goes to perform the ritual with Zekrom… well… he who holds the God Stone, controls the resulting Vahirom from the fusion, correct?" Ghetsis asked N, as N looked hesitant, all the while his eyes narrowed with a smirk as N took the God Stone from his father.

"Indeed; Ash will pay for having messed with the Harmonia name!" N spoke up, as Zoroark nodded as Ghetsis chuckled and patted N on the back.

"That's the spirit, my boy… Now then, continue about what you think Ash wants you to believe still; prepare to initiate the mission as planned, and meet us back home so we can prepare the rise of your own, true castle to your perfect world, N Harmonia." Ghetsis said, as both he and Zoroark moved to bow before N, as Ghetsis faded as did Zoroark. Before N could even realize it, however, the Poké Ball containing Zoroark had also vanished as well; Altair had also vanished, and the traces of his footsteps disappeared as wa-

 _{BADABOOM!}_  Geneshine yelled as the entire foundation of the castle shook from the basement floor, as a powerful explosion suddenly took hold and shook the entire area from the basement floor.

At the basement floor, Ash and Altair arrived at the bottom of the stairs as Altair was quick to charge a sphere of aura, before stepping out from the cavernous wreck of an explosion was Geneshine's ugly mug hold the destroyed head of one other Genesect. As Altair moved to strike Geneshine with the sphere he held in his hand, firing it towards the Paleozoic Pokémon with haste, Geneshine was unnervingly quick to dodge it, as Geneshine busted up laughing as he took the core of the Burn Drive and placed it into the Looplet in his chest.

 _{YES! YESSS! I FINALLY HAVE THEM ALL!}_  Geneshine cackled, as its voice was distorting between the monotone, robotic voice, to that of a distinctly Mewtwo-like voice with a robotic filter to it.

 _{Now then, now that I finally have them all, how's about a test drive? Awakening Mode!}_  Geneshine called, as it suddenly burst with a large influx of energy, as the drive on Geneshine now appeared in a rainbow-like veil of colors.

 _ **{TECHNO BLAST! FIRE TYPE!}**_  Geneshine called, as he suddenly charged an immense shot of energy from its cannon, the energy forming from massive flames, and fired it towards Ash, Ash's eyes widening upon seeing the attack as he was suddenly tackled by Altair to the ground to keep him from out of harm's way.

 _ **{TECHNO BLAST! ELECTRIC TYPE!}**_  Geneshine called, as he charged an immense surge of electricity at the tip of its cannon, before firing it at Altair and Ash looked like they couldn't get out of harm's way. However, before they could be hit, Raichu suddenly emerged from his Poké Ball and suddenly absorbed the electricity into himself by opening his mouth and eating the whole beam of energy; swallowing the energy as it exploded inside of him as Raichu gave Geneshine a defiant glare and grin.

 _ **{Is that the best you've got?!}**_  Geneshine called, as he suddenly charged an immense amount of watery energy at the tip of his cannon, before firing several barrages of it towards Raichu as he moved to maneuver the battlefield. Raichu simply stuck his tongue out at Geneshine.

"RAICHU!" Raichu suddenly called, as a powerful, bolt of electricity suddenly hit Geneshine for something fierce; Geneshine suddenly freaked upon the aftershock of the attack; some of his synthetic armor was peeled away because of the attack.

 _ **{AAAGH! TECHNO BLAST! ICE TYPE!}**_  Geneshine called, as he suddenly fired upon Altair and Ash in a sudden switch of targets. However, Altair had gotten up by this point and grabbing the sphere of ice in his hands as he transformed it into a sphere of aura of an immense size.

" **AURA BOMB!"**  Altair called as Geneshine worked on countering it with energy charging from his cannon.

_**{HYPER-}** _

"RAICHUUU!" Raichu suddenly called, as he let loose a powerful, giant bolt of thunder down upon Geneshine, as upon impact, both it and the Aura Bomb stripped Geneshine down to nothing but exposed circuitry, a metal frame, and four soulless, pinprick eyes in the place of two singular eyes. Raichu, suddenly exploding with aura from Ash's input, suddenly flew up into the air while stabilizing his tail as a surf board, and taking aim at Geneshine, who was now growling and in a furious rage.

_**{HOW?! HOW ARE YOU TWO SO STRONG?! JUST KILL ME NOW AT THIS RATE! EXPL-}** _

"RAAAIIICHUUU!" Raichu called, as he suddenly flew done and crashed directly into Geneshine with a powerful bolt of electricity down towards his head; the bluntest side of Raichu's tail having smashed against Geneshine's forehead, all the while Raichu backed off as Altair stood by Ash's side, only to be held back by Ash.

 _{Low battery power remaining. All primary cells drained. Activating emergency cell and deactivating MODEL: PKMN#649. Powerine… offline… now…}_  Geneshine "spoke" in a monotone, completely robotic voice that lacked any kind of emotion or distinct impression of being someone actually speaking, as Geneshine's shell regenerated much like Krookodile's synthetic skin from before. With Geneshine's eyes shutting off, Geneshine was left a powerless, red husk of a Pokémon that went completely dormant and collapsed to the ground.

"T-Thank goodness you didn't kill it with that…" Ash spoke up, panting a little as his aura was getting to it, as Raichu and Altair helped stabilize Ash. Before either of the three could grab Geneshine's body, the ceiling was beginning to collapse and already blocked the three of them, as the entire foundation was beginning to collapse. Ash, seeing Geneshine getting buried underneath the rubble and sand, looked towards Altair and Raichu.

"He'll be alright down here, he's a Steel Type, he can handle far worse, but we can't! Let's get out of here!" Ash told Raichu and Altair, as Altair was quick to speed his way out of the ruins, with Ash being lifted up telekinetically and teleported out of the ruins by Raichu's psychic abilities.

By the time the three arrived back on the surface, Altair had only just barely jumped up from the ground and escaped the collapse of the underground castle, as Altair stopped and looked back upon the sand shifting around to reclaim its footing on the general area. Ash looked around, confused as to where N was the whole time. Sighing a bit in confusion, he was quick to grab Zekrom's Poké Ball and call upon his Deep Black Legendary Pokémon and fly off searching for him.

"N?!"

Back in the present, Ash could only be thinking that same name in his mind in questioning; was the N he had known just been using him just to exploit Vahirom's power this whole time? Had N still foolishly believed in Team Plasma's cause despite what he had seen?

"N… Why did you do this to me…" Ash said, as he moved to lift himself up from where he stood, as he looked behind him as Giselle and Alain walked into the room; Alain's face red from getting slapped it seemed, and Giselle was looking at Ash with a serious gaze.

"You need a ride to Opelucid City?" Giselle asked, as Ash nodded.

"Y-Yes, thank you…" Ash said, as Alain was quick to call upon his Charizard, as Charizard was quiet in quickly flying up, as Ash called back Altair and Raichu as he jumped up and took off on Charizard's back without completely realizing it until he was already off towards Opelucid City.

"… You told Charizard to leave me behind just for that, didn't you?" Alain asked with a nervous expression, as Giselle nodded.

"Just remember, I won fair and square, so no going back on this little arrangement." Giselle told Alain, as Alain sighed. As Hilbert and Hilda walked in the room with a groan, both of them were quick to mount aboard a Braviary Hilda owned as she had called it out, as Alain got on its back with the other two and flew off into the sky with it towards Opelucid City.

"Think about joining them in the League?" Meowth asked Giselle, as he saw Bilie and her parents walk into the room as well, as Billie chuckled a bit.

"Oh we're entering alright; Unova isn't going to see the last of us just yet!" Billie promised to Meowth as Giselle giggled as she suddenly called upon a giant, humanoid Pokémon which used its strong, burly arms to grab hold of Meowth, Billie, herself, Jessie, and James before it suddenly tucked in its giant legs and flew off into the air for the east. From a distance, Billie and her parents could audibly be heard screaming some familiar words…

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

**To Be Continued.**


	69. Chapter 68: Water against Water

It would've been far too easy to fuse and be done with it. Tempest, however, knew there was a downside that Flare did not immediately know about, and thus ran off before any such thing could occur. As Tempest flew through the air and landed atop a large, radio tower at the northernmost part of the region overlooking a giant arena, Tempest noted how the crowd was non-existent, but Flare quickly approached as she stopped right before him in the air.

"It's about Raiga, isn't it?" Flare asked Tempest, as she folded her arms against each other. Tempest, looking at Flare, could only nod quietly as he did.

"We're not who were originally each time we use that form…" Tempest mumbled to Flare, as Flare simply gawked at Tempest with an aggravated glare.

"So? Isn't that a good thing for the two of us? To know that whatever blame falls upon Raiga, doesn't fall upon us and-"

Flare was interrupted, though, with the sudden, savage claw swipe from Tempest, all the while tears could visibly be seen forming in his eyes.

"You don't get it, do you…?" Tempest told off Flare. "It isn't about the blame both of us will still receive regardless, it isn't about the fact I love being myself for who I am. It's the fact that neither of us will ever be able to live down the guilt of using that form. Don't you understand?!" Tempest said to Flare, all the while Flare scowled before Tempest.

For as much of an attempt to make an intimidating glare back towards Flare that Tempest had made, Flare's gaze eventually softened as she sighed and looked upon Tempest, giving him a pat on the head.

"Tempest, don't be like that… please?" Flare spoke in a more calmed down tone, all the while Tempest still looked heavily shaken.

"You have no idea as to the things I've endured during the last time we fused into Raiga beforehand, Flare." Tempest told Flare, all the while Flare chuckled.

"You think I don't know as well? Besides, if we don't fuse at all, you already know what's going to happen next anyways." Flare brought up, as unnerving memories hit Tempest's mind; one where he had seen himself brutally impaled by a human wielding some kind of ominous sword in his left hand. As Tempest snapped back into reality, he suddenly barked up towards Flare and growled.

"Fine! Some comrade you turned out to be!" Tempest growled towards Flare, as Flare simply gave Tempest a groaning shrug, before walking forward as Tempest moved to fly up to try and have his head face Flare's…

… Only to just now get a reminder as to how insanely tall Flare stood in comparison to him even when reared up. Tempest's growling, meanwhile, turned into snickering to flat out laughter. As Tempest was cracking up, even Flare found herself laughing in the aftermath of this little attempt at intimidation.

"You old goofball… I wouldn't worry about Raiga's issues this time around… Trust me." Flare spoke up, as Flare looked down towards the south of the horizon.

"Besides, I don't think we need to use that kind of power just yet."

_**Opelucid City…** _

Ash was beginning to arrive at Opelucid City; just the fact he was arriving on his cousin's Charizard and not Zekrom was odd for him, even if he didn't have Zekrom for very long as others might've had their flying Pokémon, such as Alain with his own Charizard just beneath Ash as he glided down to the ground below at the western entrance of the city before him; the home of the final gym badge in Unova, known as Opelucid City.

The city looked… unusual, when compared to others ones before it; all of the ones Ash had seen prior had modern day aesthetics with polished up streets, buildings that looked no older than 50 years, and a slate of gray as the primary color palette.

Here, though, aside from the Pokémon Center Ash could see in view of his and Charizard's path, the buildings had a very bright, shiny but rustic clay color to them, while looking like they could easily be over a hundred years old at the same time. There were no roads for vehicles, only stone paths with none of it being made with modern concrete. Bushes and foliage decorated the city en masse, as the statue of a giant, serpentine Dragon Pokémon which Ash could recognize now as Vahirom served as the entrance of the gym for this city.

"Hey!"

Ash perked up once he heard someone speak; he didn't recognize the voice, all the while he got off of Charizard's back as he moved to stretch after unease he felt having to use a saddle and-

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" A male's voice clearly spoke, clearly sounding frustrated towards Ash, all the while Ash and Charizard both turned around and had a look at the trainer; dressed in entirely blue, appearing to have goggles on top of his hat as well, appeared a trainer no older than 11 as the kid rushed up to Ash with an angered glare.

"Yes?" Ash replied, as Charizard gave the kid a bit of a snort out of curiosity.

"So you're Alain, right?" The kid asked, as Ash shook his head.

"No, I'm Ash; I'm his older cousin." Ash spoke up, all the while the kid's furious, but hard to take serious gaze was locked on Ash.

"L-Liar! I know his Charizard everywhere I see it! He always has one! If you're indeed Ash, prove it to me by showing something my step-brother can't do!" The kid shouted at Ash, as Ash blinked. Ash, simply taking it in as he let out a sigh, closed his eyes for a small moment. As he reopened them, they glowed with an immense, striking gold as his body lit up into his aura mode, as the kid took several steps backwards in shock as to what Ash was doing.

As the aura solidified into a calm, controlled flame around Ash, he turned his gaze towards Alain's Charizard, and in a quick second triggered the inner power of the Mega Stone around Charizard's chest armor. As the Mega Stone suddenly surged with power, Charizard let out a roar as he was contained with a sphere of immense, gathering energy before him, only to explode and reveal what seemed to be an abnormality of Charizard's Mega Evolution.

Unlike Alain's Mega Charizard he used before, this Mega Charizard maintained Charizard's original coloration, and instead gained three, sharp horns atop its head, a more pronounced snout, stretched out, larger wingers, a longer tail, and having small, wing-like protrusions coming out of its arms, which were noticeably reduced compared to his other Mega Evolved form.

"Mega Charizard… Y…?" The boy asked as he stared in amazement, all the while Ash looked at him and nodded.

"I'm able to tap into aura you see; I used it to have Charizard Mega Evolve into a different version of its Mega Evolved form instead of the one his Mega Stone dictated." Ash explained to the boy, as Ash's senses perked up as he had a closer look at the kid.

"Wait, aren't you one of the kids from back when I met Alder?" Ash asked, to which the boy nodded.

"Yes, actually; I just today earned my 8th badge, and since we last saw each other, I now have this along with the rest of my team." The boy spoke up, as he called upon a Poké Ball and opened it up to showcase a large, seal-like Pokémon in the form of a siren type of appearance, with a massive mane of hair and a dark blue lower body, with a white upper body and feminine appearance. As Ash grabbed his Pokédex, he had a feeling he already knew what this Pokémon was.

"Primarina, the Soloist Pokémon and the Final Form of Popplio. Its singing voice is its chief weapon in battle. This Pokémon's Trainer must prioritize the daily maintenance of its throat at all costs." Ash's Pokédex read off, as Ash had a look at the trainer with a nod.

"Seems like you're moving up in the world; do you plan on challenging the Pokémon League?" Ash asked, as the kid looked uncertain.

"Battle with me again, please; I want to see if I'm truly ready, so don't hold back this time!" The boy spoke up, before adopting a fiery pose to ready himself as he backed away from the street Primarina rested on as Ash backed up a bit as well.

"Very well, Samurott! I choose you!" Ash called as he sent out his signature Starter Pokémon, loyal to him as ever as Samurott let loose a powerful, excited howl of rejoice and power. Primarina looked upon Samurott with a bit of a giggling gesture. As Ash and the boy exchanged glances as Samurott and Primarina were in place and ready to battle, Ash was given a glance from Samurott as Ash nodded in turn.

"Prepare yourself…" Ash spoke up, as he triggered his aura to awaken as suddenly Samurott was surrounded by a watery veil of energy, before emerging from it in an explosive blast of water, bipedal and wielding his dual Seamitanas out and ready for battle.

"Pokémon, GO!" Both Ash and the boy called out, as the boy began to perform an unusual gesture with his hands; mimicking ocean waves as an odd device was around his left wrist, the boy yelled out as Primarina suddenly exploded with an immense energy surrounding it.

As Warlord-Samurott glanced at Primarina, he had let the Soloist Pokémon make the first move to test how much stronger it had become since they last fought. As the fully evolved Water Type Pokémon nodded, its voice sudden spoke up as water droplets emerged from the ground and began to collect en masse in the air above it as its voice sang a high note to gather them into a gigantic sphere of water.

Moving to push the watery sphere towards Warlord-Samurott, Warlord-Samurott moved to prepare to block with both of his Seamitanas. As the sphere was now above him directly, the boy raised his hands up with his fingers pointing upwards, all the while Primarina now let out an enthralling, high pitched cry as the sphere of water was dropped on Warlord-Samurott and exploding into many, many particles of water, with the water raining down on Primarina as it bowed before Ash and Warlord-Samurott.

As Warlord-Samurott took the attack, it not had its twin Seamitanas covered in a watery veil like before, all the while Ash looked like he had some bruises across his body, but nevertheless grinned as he suddenly sparked his aura further beyond its solidified form to where his eyes turned red from the intense aura he was bringing to the surface.

As Primarina moved to slide around the makeshift battlefield, Primarina sang with its voice to summon up a giant, moon-like sphere of energy to fire at Warlord-Samurott, which impeded the Indomitable Pokémon's movement, but Warlord-Samurott was quick to regain his bearings and suddenly rush at Primarina with immense speed.

Using both Seamitanas to launch Primarina up into the air, Warlord-Samurott suddenly vanished and reappeared in place as it moved to strike and slash and Primarina with his Seamitanas. Surprisingly enough, however, Primarina was using its thick tail to parry each of the attacks, and only once the final blow was ready with Warlord-Samurott raising its twin Seamitanas high did Warlord-Samurott strike down with enough force to seemingly knock Primarina down.

However, Primarina was quick to use its delicate arms to block the attack, as Warlord-Samurott's eyes widened at this as Primarina exhaled a blast of icy energy towards Warlord-Samurott, freezing the Indomitable Pokémon's Seamitanas solid as well as leaving Warlord-Samurott's hands frozen in place. As Primarina grinned, it moved to slam Warlord-Samurott down into the ground with its tail, in which Primarina breathed out more ice to freeze the street with to slide and continue to smack Warlord-Samurott in the middle of the air with its powerful tail.

As Warlord-Samurott was being made into a rag doll, he was eventually spiked into the ground by Primarina's tail as the ice around his hands shattered and were now free to prepare to strike back at Primarina. Letting loose a fierce, ungodly howl towards Primarina, Primarina was quick to suddenly charge an immense sphere of lunar energy before her and send it flying towards Samurott in a quick, sudden movement.

As Warlord-Samurott used his Seamitanas to knock it back, Primarina countered by knocking it back towards him with its tail, as Warlord-Samurott quickly moved to strike again with his Seamitanas to yet again launch it back. In a back and forth exchange in the lunar energy, Primarina was collecting making it more powerful as it was launched back and forth. Jumping into the air every now and then as Primarina returned the sphere of energy more powerful than last time, Warlord-Samurott was quick to suddenly fire an immense, powerful blast of water from his mouth towards the sphere which destroyed it in a single shot, and managed to pierce through it and hit Primarina with it.

Primarina, however, was not done yet, as Primarina used its powerful singing voice to summon force a powerful field of auditory energy which stunned Warlord-Samurott in place, as he began to fall drowsy in nature, before Primarina was quick to summon forth more lunar energy; as Warlord-Samurott was down and losing consciousness due to an odd tiredness, Primarina continuously made the sphere larger and larger than last time, until it was so massive in size that it eclipsed the sun from view of Warlord-Samurott and Ash.

Suddenly launching it down upon Warlord-Samurott, both he and Ash made a powerful pushing motion with their hands as they both used their synchronized states to give each other strength in pushing it back. With Warlord-Samurott suddenly exhaling a powerful stream of ice once he had the strength to do so, the lunar sphere shattered in an array of sparkling icy dust as Warlord-Samurott suddenly rushed forward with both of his Seamitanas drawn as he roared towards Primarina.

Primarina, though, seemed to anticipate this exactly; suddenly a twinkle from its eyes woke up, as the entire battlefield was flooded in water as Warlord-Samurott was drawn into it, Primarina suddenly shook with energy before launching itself into Warlord-Samurott until the Indomitable Pokémon was trapped in a giant vortex of water which repeatedly thrashed him around, but in an odd twist, Warlord-Samurott dragged Primarina into it with him with his brutish arms as both of them were continuously thrashed by the powerful storm of water.

As the fierce amount of water energy exploded upon the duo, Primarina and Warlord-Samurott returned to the sides of their respective trainers. As the two glared at each other as they both were breathing heavily from exhaustion at the moment, the two looked ready to collapse at any moment. As Ash's aura suddenly gave out, Warlord-Samurott reverted back to his normal form and was the first to collapse before Primarina joined him on the ground in a double knock out.

As Ash was panting heavily, his throat seeming dry, he moved over towards Samurott as quietly rubbed Samurott's snout as he gave him a reassuring nod, to which Samurott joyfully growled in affection towards Ash. As Ash panted still, the boy walked over towards Ash to help him stand up, as Ash took his hand to help get back onto his feet, with the boy and Ash returning their respective Water Starters back to their Poké Balls. As Ash heavily panted, he gave the boy an approving nod as the boy looked at Ash with a smile of newfound confidence.

As the ground suddenly shook behind Ash, he turned around to see the massive, humanoid Pokémon which Giselle and Alain rode to Opelucid City on. As Giselle rushed over to Ash to hand him a water bottle from her bag, she was quick with noticing Ash's drained state.

"Drink up, sir; you have a gym battle coming up soon." Giselle told Ash, as Ash nodded.

"T-Thank you, Giselle…" Ash said, as he quietly grabbed the water bottle and began to take a drink from it. With Alain rushing up towards his Charizard with glee, Charizard looked at Alain weirdly as he was hugged by his trainer as his trainer sobbed into his large chest.

"Don't ever make me ride without you ever again, Charizard!" Alain cried out, as Charizard merely rolled his eyes with a snickering snort, as Giselle and Ash looked over towards Alain and began to chuckle happily.

As Bianca and Cheren walked up to the scene with Bianca scanning Ash's Pokédex, Cheren looked at Ash as he gave him a friendly nod.

"Ash, Drayden would like to speak with you and Misty before you challenge the gym leader; his house is further north in the middle of the city, and Misty's already there waiting for you." Cheren told Ash, as Ash blinked.

"Oh… right… one thing I'm not sure I'll be able to tell him without getting yelled out… well…" Ash began to say, as Alain and Giselle blinked, as Billie approached the scene with Hilda and Hilbert as all of them looked upon Ash and only made him more nervous to speak up about it.

"Yes, Ash?" Billie asked, as Hilbert looked at Ash with a gaze that seemed to imply he already knew what Ash had to say.

"Ash… what happened back at Dragonspiral Tower…?" Hilbert asked Ash, as Ash was stuttering a bit as he tried to get the confidence to speak up. As he suddenly stopped, he took a deep breath and sighed before finally looking at everyone to speak.

"N betrayed me and took Zekrom just as we fused both it and Reshiram to form Vahirom." Ash told everyone, as everyone's eyes widened with shock, horror, or confusion as to what Ash had to say. Cheren, meanwhile, looked ready to hit someone as he suddenly grabbed Ash by the shoulders and shook him with his angered look.

"Why?! Why did N use us all like that?! After what all we had done to try and fit him into our group?! He just has the audacity to claim the Original Dragon as his and his alone so he can just go back to frickin' Team Plasma with it?! Is that what N did back there?!" Cheren yelled at Ash as he sounded genuinely frustrated but oddly… hurt and betrayed with his tone of voice, as within a few moments, Cheren broke down in a crying fit as Bianca and Ash moved to embrace him to calm him down.

"After how hard I tried to convince myself he was one of us… He had to betray us all for his own gain…" Cheren spoke, softer in tone as Bianca and Ash moved to tighten their embrace on Cheren as Ash and Bianca both patted one of Cheren's shoulders to help him calm down. Hilbert and Hilda looked at each other with a nod, as Billie looked at Giselle and Alain as the five moved to leave to give Ash, Cheren, and Bianca some privacy.

"We trusted him… but why did he turn against us…?" Bianca asked, as Ash remained quiet, as he tried to recall what N's aura was before it had happened. From what his memory served, N's aura was still blue.

"I… I don't know…" Ash spoke up, as he heard a cough from an older man as being escorted into the streets with the help of Misty appeared the injured, limping form of Drayden as he had looked like he had just endured a powerful beating of sorts. As Ash, Cheren, and Bianca looked at him in shock, Cheren was the first to speak up.

"D-Did N do this to you?!" Cheren asked, as Drayden raised an eye.

"Oh, this? No, actually; this was Iris' Haxorus having wrestled with me to help warm up for the day." Drayden admitted, as Drayden coughed as he moved to speak. "Speaking of her, I can already imagine you now know what to expect from Opelucid City's Gym, correct?" Drayden asked Ash, as Ash was quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, I am aware; I will have to face Iris for my final gym battle before the Pokémon League!"

**To Be Continued.**


	70. Chapter 69: Ultimatum Part 1

**Ash VS Iris Part 1:**

Ash was walking up to the entrance of Opelucid City's Gym as he was talking to Drayden and his friends and lover on the way up towards the gym of his other lover; he told them all about how N had seemingly betrayed him, and for reasons he currently can't truly understand, and that he's looking forward to seeing what Iris is like in a battle for once.

"I assure you she won't disappoint you." Drayden spoke up, as Misty gave a silent glare to Drayden, as Cheren and Bianca looked at each other with worry. Ash seemed oblivious to anything wrong at the moment, but once he stepped into the gym itself, he was stunned as he looked at the arena before him, but most importantly towards Iris…

… And the outfit she was wearing; she was wearing an outside that seemed much like Ash's own, except from what Ash could notice, it seemed like it could easily harm her if she wasn't careful. Ash's yes widened as he realized what Iris was going to try and put herself through, as Drayden looked down at Ash with his towering height with a glance.

"You're not afraid, are you?" Drayden inquired, as Ash shook his head.

"N-No…" Ash said, as his gaze was locked on Iris' before him; she looked pained and uncomfortable, all the while Iris tried her best to remain confident about the fight that would happen soon. As Ash gulped a bit in nervousness, Drayden simply gestured for Ash to take his place on his side of the arena. Cheren and Bianca looked at each other with worry, as Misty moved to stand by them as she equally watched with worry.

"Be careful, Ash."

As Ash moved to ready a Poké Ball, he was quick to realize he had a full belt, but he knew while he hadn't used Whimsicott in a while, he knew she could be helpful with the fight; her Fairy Type would be strong against Iris' Dragon Types, as Ash readied himself to begin the challenge, as did Iris with a Poké Ball that as far as Ash could tell, was overwhelming in power.

As both of them sent out their respective Pokémon, Ash sent out Whimsicott first, and once Iris' Pokémon was revealed, Ash's eyes widened as he heard Bianca's Pokédex play behind him as he gazed upon the towering sauropod before him.

"Dialga, the Temporal Legendary Pokémon. It has the power to control time. It appears in Sinnoh-region myths as an ancient deity." Bianca's Pokédex explained, all the while Ash looked upon Iris as Iris looked upon him; both of them suddenly had more confidence in this fight now that they exchanged glances with an intensity growing between them.

"Pokémon, GO!" Ash and Iris called, as Ash ignited his aura directly into its third phase; red eyes and all, as Iris' suit supercharged her Heartsoul energy to where her eyes appeared silver from the resulting golden glow.

Whimsicott was quick to strafe the arena in search of an opening against the massive, albeit sluggish Dialga. Dialga was tilting its head only slightly to keep its eyes on the much smaller Fairy Type Pokémon, as Dialga was quick to raise its tail and slam it into the ground, causing the entire floor to shake with the tremor caused by it. Cheren and Bianca both barely stood their ground, as did Misty and Drayden, but Ash and Iris took it effortlessly.

"Whimsicott, Dazzling Gleam!" Ash called towards his Pokémon, as Whimsicott continued to strafe around Dialga at a much faster speed, all the while firing numerous rays of light against Dialga, in which Dialga was quickly becoming dazed by the sheer abundance of projectiles being thrown its way at once. As a direct result, Dialga moved to roar and fire a projectile of metallic energy from its mouth, but Whimsicott was able to dodge it and fire shining light directly into Dialga's diamond plated chest, causing the Temporal Legendary Pokémon to shake and shudder at the immense pain it now felt.

"Dialga, Iron Tail!" Iris commanded, as Dialga reared its head up and roars before its tail suddenly solidified into diamond-like metal, before Dialga move to spin itself around the entire arena with the intent of striking Whimsicott, as Whimsicott was only barely managing to dodge this attack.

"Substitute, hurry!" Ash called towards Whimsicott, as Whimsicott suddenly vanished as taking her place was an odd, green colored dinosaur Pokémon plush that was continuing to move in her place.

"Flash Cannon!"

"Protect!" Iris and Ash respectively had called, as Dialga suddenly exhaled a massive stream of metallic energy upon the doll, as Whimsicott manifested a barrier around it to keep it unharmed. As the barrier faded and Dialga's attack ended, Dialga was quick to strike again with Iron Tail and taking the plush out in a single blow, with Whimsicott reappearing in its place.

"Tailwind!" Ash called towards Whimsicott, as Whimsicott suddenly shed a load of cottony fluff from its body, as its entire form summoned a gale wind around itself and the whole arena which made Whimsicott's movements appear to be a blur towards Dialga.

Or so one would think, as Dialga suddenly roared as its eyes and diamond chest glowed with a bright crystal blue, as Dialga's vision slowed down time for itself as it could concentrate on Whimsicott. Having anticipated this, however, Ash's aura flared up into an electric surge as shades of black surrounded him as his eyes looked increasingly hostile.

Whimsicott, suddenly vanished from Dialga's eyes, suddenly reappeared where Dialga would turn its head as Whimsicott fired Dazzling Gleam directly into Dialga's eyes. As Dialga roared from the recoil of the attack at hand, Dialga was slowly beginning to lose energy fast. Whimsicott appeared to have a lot of strength left in her, so she was quick upon Ash's aura flowing into her further for her to unleash a much more potent and stronger version of Dazzling Gleam powerful enough to completely engulf Dialga into it.

As Dialga fired off one last blast of Flash Cannon in spite, Whimsicott's speed made Dialga miss and hit the ceiling of the gym instead. As the ceiling shattered into dust as Dialga collapsed, Whimsicott slowed down towards Ash's side as Iris called Dialga back to its Poké Ball. As did, a six circled marking on her chest suddenly glowed and decrease to five markings as Iris suddenly yelped quietly as a small shock hit her. Cheren, noticing this very quickly looked over at Drayden with a glare.

"What the hell was that?" Cheren asked Drayden without even bothering to mince his words to the older man. Drayden simply gave him an aside glare; not uttering a sound as he did, before turning his attention back to Ash and Iris' battle. As Iris recovered, her gaze intensified as her heartsoul energy suddenly increased around her to match Ash's aura in power.

As Iris grabbed another Poké Ball from her belt, Iris was quick to call upon another Pokémon of hers.

"Zygarde, you're up next!" Iris called, as on the battlefield appeared a collection of 10% of Zygarde's cells which rapidly collected themselves together to form into the canine-like form of Zygarde 10%. As the dog-like Dragon Legendary Pokémon barked and snarled at Whimsicott, as Zygarde 10% suddenly fired an immensely powerful, green glowing ray of light into the sky, as within seconds, thousands of projectiles struck the floor below; destroying the normal floor of the arena as well as managing to strike Whimsicott with such an intensity as it had managed to knock her out.

As Bianca moved to shield Cheren from the incoming projectiles, Drayden, Ash, and Iris didn't even flinch as the projectiles destroyed the surrounding arena. Ash simply gazed upon the wounded Whimsicott, noting Whimsicott still had energy left but now Ash felt like she would be useful later.

"Whimsicott, return!" Ash called, as he grabbed his Poké Ball for Whimsicott and called her back, as Ash was quickly trying to weigh his options here; Iris sending out Zygarde so soon didn't feel right; Ash could read the auras of all of Iris' Pokémon, but something was disturbing him about one of them in particular; it reminded him of something else he encountered before, almost too familiar at that.

"Alright, Krookodile, come on out!" Ash called, as he threw out the Poké Ball into the field as Krookodile took form from within it and readied himself in a combat stance. Krookodile seemed to drop all of the pretenses he had normally and was immediately seriously with facing Zygarde before him. As the canine Zygarde 10% rushed itself towards Krookodile, Krookodile was quick to grab Zygarde's head in his jaws and swing it around in a dazing motion before repeatedly slamming Zygarde 10% into the ground to tire it out further.

As Zygarde 10% recovered from the shock of the biting move, 40% more of Zygarde's cells suddenly were summoned forth as Zygarde's cells combined with the core contained in its 10% forme, and quickly transformed into a giant, lumbering serpent known as Zygarde 50%. Zygarde roared towards Krookodile, as Krookodile roared back just as viciously.

"Thousand Arrows!"

"Outrage!" Iris and Ash both called in sync, as Krookodile suddenly lunged forward with its speed and agility now being the better of the two, as Krookodile rapidly, in a blind fury at that, used his claws, jaws, and tail to hack and slash away at Zygarde's immensely durable scaled hide. Zygarde, upon commanded glowed with a green light as it suddenly fired many projectiles into the air once more, as the various projectiles slammed into the ground, this time detonating as they did which manage to injure Krookodile to where his cybernetic body was completely exposed underneath of his replica organic hide.

"Stunning reveal there." Drayden spoke up regarding Krookodile as his eyes widened a little, before quickly narrowing, "Though it won't matter." Drayden spoke coldly, as Cheren growled as he was held back by Bianca and Misty.

As Krookodile continued to rapidly claw away at Zygarde, he ended his combo with a kick to Zygarde's chin which ended up causing Zygarde to glow with an immense glow as even more cells, in addition to what appeared to be four cores, now began to accumulated around it. As Krookodile jumped off of Zygarde's hide and into the air, Krookodile suddenly fired an immense, high powered beam of concentrated pure energy towards Zygarde, just as his organic skin was beginning to regenerate. Despite the heavy recoil of the attack managing to push Zygarde back, Zygarde ultimately formed into its Complete Forme as it roared near mechanically towards Krookodile.

"Core Enforcer!" Iris called, as Zygarde was quick to jump into the air with its tail and cape-like tails on its back suddenly moving to angle themselves outwards as Zygarde's chest opened up as it began to charge with energy.

"Krookodile, come back!" Ash called as he was quick to grab a Poké Ball to call back Krookodile, "Whimsicott, GO!" Ash hastily said as he brought Whimsicott back out into the battlefield.

As Zygarde fired the immense beam of energy towards Whimsicott, a beam of solid, Z-shaped energy suddenly encircled Whimsicott as the entire marking suddenly exploded around Whimsicott; Ash simply chuckled a bit, though, all the while Cheren grinned as to what he saw happening before him. Whimsicott, without having to do anything, was rendering the explosive Core Enforcer null and void; it was immune to the move entirely it seemed.

However, while Whimsicott could still fight, she was not fully capable of lasting for much longer. "Now, finish Zygarde off with Dazzling Gleam!" Ash called towards Whimsicott, as the frightened gaze Whimsicott had suddenly turned fierce as Whimsicott summoned circles around itself to fire shining projectiles into Zygarde Complete Forme. In one foul swoop, Zygarde was out of energy as Zygarde collapsed onto the ground and fell over onto its belly, as Iris was quick to call the Order Legendary Pokémon back.

As she did, the emblem on her chest glowed again and was reduced to four, causing Iris to experience another shock again as Iris' yelp was much more audible this time around. Ash was able to notice, but he was in no position of being able to do anything about it; instead Cheren took that action for him by immediately getting out of Bianca and Misty's grasp and moving to try and punch Drayden.

"YOU! What are you doing to Iris?!" Cheren yelled at Drayden, all the while Drayden gave him a cold, stoic glare as a single, strong arm was enough to stop Cheren's incoming punch.

"An Ultimatum." Drayden spoke up, quietly though. Cheren didn't appear to hear him, all the while Bianca and Misty's eyes widened.

"A what now?!" Cheren yelled.

"An Ultimatum, I said!" Drayden yelled, as he now had everyone except Iris' attention. "If Iris loses this gym battle to Ash, the suit she has around her will deliver a fatal shock to her."

"Excuse me?" Nanu's voice spoke up all of a sudden as he was quick with his slow walk towards Drayden.

"This is none of your business 000, this is only to make sure Ash knows his place in this world and-" Drayden didn't have the chance to block the sudden, swift boot to his crotch that Nanu suddenly delivered to him to knock him onto the floor; Nanu's expression was that of a dead, cold, enraged glare with natural red eyes to back it up.

"OH THIS WILL NOT BE HAPPENING UNDER YOUR ORDERS OR ANYONE ELSE'S, YOU DISGRACEFUL SON OF A-"

Ash's concentration on the fight prevented him from hearing Nanu's suddenly enraged dialogue, which Cheren's face palming and Bianca and Misty covering their ears could only notify Ash as Nanu using a lot of nasty language to chew Drayden out with.

"Iris, hang in there!" Ash called towards Iris as he was quick to notice Iris already sent out her next Pokémon, in the form of Rayquaza.

 **"I know already!"**  Iris said as her heartsoul energy flared up further, with some of Rayquaza's life-force being drained into her due to the intense surge of it activating at once; Cheren suddenly turned his gaze from Nanu and Drayden's arguing to look at the abnormality of Iris' heartsoul boost; neither he nor anyone else he had seen using it had used it to that extreme of an extent. Misty frowned with worry as she looked at Iris, but as Bianca grabbed her arm, she was turned around to face a more serious gaze from Bianca.

"Tell us everything that is going on there." Bianca demanded from Misty.

As Rayquaza suddenly flew up into the air and disappeared into the sky's horizon, the sky suddenly exploded with a magenta flash as suddenly flying in at full speed was Mega Rayquaza crashing into Whimsicott like a meteor, causing Whimsicott to collapse from the sheer blunt of the impact. The entire foundation of the gym shook with an immense force as a massive shockwave hit the surrounding parts of the city, as Ash called back Whimsicott and immediately sent out Krookodile yet again.

" **Krookodile! Stone Edge!"**  Ash commanded, as Ash suddenly held his arms and legs out,  **"AURA BLITZ!"**  Ash called out, as his entire aura exploded into a bright fury of a blue inferno around himself. Ash looked determined now, that much was certain, all the while Krookodile summoned massive spires of rock from the ground; knocking them each into the air and then launching them with a furious intent towards Mega Rayquaza with an immense force upon each stone's impact against the Sky High Legendary Pokémon.

As the air around Mega Rayquaza, as mysterious as it was, weakened the blows from each piece of rock thrown its way, Mega Rayquaza let out a loud, savage roar as it suddenly charged an immense blast of energy into its mouth, to which Krookodile jumped into the air just above Mega Rayquaza due his increase in agility and power from Ash's aura, grabbed Mega Rayquaza by the neck, and sent both of them spiraling towards the grounds with many rocky spires suddenly forming to impale Mega Rayquaza upon impact, all the while Mega Rayquaza was forcefully dragged underground.

As the sphere of energy in Mega Rayquaza's mouth was unleashed upon Krookodile at point blank below ground, the entire arena where Ash and Iris stood suddenly exploded and collapsed into a giant crater of rock and debris as from the rubble below, movement could be felt from both Ash and Iris. Since the suit Iris was wearing didn't activate again, Mega Rayquaza dragged itself out from underneath the rubble as it was forced to revert back into its normal form to have survived that attack, as Krookodile, in heavy exhaustion, dragged himself out from the rubble below.

" **Good job, Krookodile; you did well."**  Ash said, as he quickly called back Krookodile as he looked at Rayquaza with an intense gaze. "I don't understand why the Gym Leaders have it out against me; I understand some of it now, however. They all fear me; they're worried about what kind of trainer I could become with my type of abilities. That's not what they're worried about the most, however." Ash spoke up, as everyone was focused on Ash's speech.

" **I've seen the way the world works; it isn't all sunshine and rainbows like I was raised to believe because of my mother sheltering me for much of my life. I had to endure many things during my trials as a Pokémon Trainer; my trials as an Aura Guardian; my failure as the Hero of Ideals. However…"**  Ash was continuing to say, all the while he called forth Unfezant next for his next Pokémon.

" **I am the hope of all of our souls. Aura is my blood, and salvation is my vision. I have withstood the trials of many battles, yet this burning passion never ceases. So as I push forward…"**  Ash began to speak, as his eyes suddenly turned a reddish gold.

" _ **Unlimited aura boost!"**_  Ash called out, as his aura exploded as his blue aura suddenly transformed into golden energy, as wings manifested as energy from behind him; Ho-Oh's own, shining wings materialized behind him as Ash lifted himself upward to stare down Rayquaza.

" _ **Let the battle be joined."**_

**To Be Continued.**


	71. Chapter 70: Ultimatum Part 2

**Ash VS Iris Part 2:**

As Ash's shining aura glowed across the entire arena, he was silent as Unfezant glowed with the same energy as Ash himself. Unfezant let out a proud call, as Rayquaza answered it with an equally powerful roar. As Unfezant flew up into the air, Rayquaza lifted its body up from the crater as it flew into the air in hot pursuit of Unfezant. Rayquaza was quick to charge a massive, pulse of energy fired from its mouth towards Unfezant, but Unfezant moved too fast for Rayquaza to hit her.

Enraged by the fact it couldn't hit such an easy target, Rayquaza used its power to Mega Evolve again, becoming Mega Rayquaza one last time as it suddenly flew into the heavens and disappeared from sight; suddenly flying across the sky with incredibly fast, emerald glowing surges of power as it tried to aimlessly hit Unfezant, Unfezant's body glowed with an immense light as her aura surrounding her suddenly transformed into the image of Ho-Oh, in which a single, thunderous clap of Unfezant's wings was enough to stop Mega Rayquaza dead in its tracks in the air, and then strike downward to have Rayquaza crashing into the ground below like a meteor.

Upon impact with the ground, Rayquaza was confirmed to be knocked out this time as the symbol on Iris' chest decreased to 3 as she was hit with a shock which hit her whole body as she twitched and flinched in recoil as she screamed at the shock of the suit hitting her again. Ash's eyes tensed as he saw clear as day what the suit was doing to Iris, all the while he was rapidly thinking as to how to solve this; he only knew of one solution on his mind, but it would be incredibly risky.

" **Guzzlord, your time to shine!"**  Iris called, as from an ominous looking Poké Ball emerged a large, swollen body of what could only be described as a giant, toothy head with limbs and a tail, with so many teeth to the point two of its tongues functioned as additional jaws. As Guzzlord suddenly vomited up a projectile of explosive rocks into the air, the particles detonated with a tremendous force which made Unfezant's attempts to stay flying in the air more hectic than ever before, as the meteors began to fall down to the ground and actually cause damages to the nearby sections of the city with their intensity.

" _ **Iris! Calm down with Guzzlord's actions!"**_  Ash called towards Iris, in hopes she would understand her Dragon Pokémon are far too destructive for their own good; Ash was quickly realizing that Iris' entire team was basically nothing but Pokémon like these.

" **Call off the fight!"**  Iris yelled towards Ash in hostility, as Ash growled.

" _ **WHY?! I already told you, I told EVERYONE why I will not let myself become your enemy simply because you all think I will be!"**_  Ash called, as Unfezant flew down towards the ground to try and strike Guzzlord, only for Guzzlord to vomit up an immense beam of energy towards Unfezant which managed to knock out the aura from her surrounding form, and injure her so greatly her damaged wing from when she was only a Pidove shattered like glass upon taking the full attack. Ash's eyes widened in shock and horror as to what just happened.

" _ **UNFEZANT!"**_  Ash called as he jumped down to the crater to quickly grab Unfezant. Landing by her side as everyone watched, Ash was on the verge of tears as he noticed Unfezant was struggling to move.

" _ **Heartsoul Amplification; it requires not just the heart of one's being to concentrate to use, but also one's very soul and being to fuel it. In the case of myself, as well as what Iris is trying to force herself into becoming, she is using a forbidden tactic that normally only one with great care should ever use; soul sharing."**_  Misty spoke; her eyes were glowing green as it was clear from the tone of her voice that Arceus was speaking through her, based off of the loudness of her tone, despite its gentleness at the same time.

"We're listening, Arceus; is that why Misty has Kyogre by her side?" Nanu asked, as Drayden was out cold on the floor.

" _ **Indeed; this is also why her shadow has Groudon; we had separated the two from each other in hopes of Rayquaza never being used for the same purpose. However, it seems Drayden had other plans."**_  Arceus spoke through Misty as it was clear Nanu wasn't fooled by the more serene tone Misty's "voice" gave Arceus here.

"So that's why Misty is so powerful as a Heartsoul Amplification user…" Cheren spoke up, quietly, as he and Bianca listened to the explanation proper.

"So what will happen if Iris taps into it too much?" Bianca asked Arceus, as Misty turned her head to look at her as Arceus' intimidating eyes pierced through Bianca's soul with their gaze.

" _ **The suit she has is designed to kill her in case of an overload; however, I do not feel that Ash will allow this to even remotely happen despite the current status of the battle."**_  Arceus answered, as Misty glanced back towards the all but destroyed arena with Ash and Iris. Ash was quietly cradling Unfezant as Unfezant was recovering from the shock of losing her whole wing like that, but Ash had quickly bandaged her and now Unfezant was returned to her Poké Ball.

As Ash moved to stand next as he tried to figure out which Pokémon to send out next, he was down to Raichu, Samurott, and Altair. Altair he knew would be useful for finishing the fight, but he knew Altair wouldn't be able to handle three strong Pokémon at once; Raichu and Samurott would need to reduce Iris down to her last Pokémon, though, and Ash had no idea what Iris had up her sleeve next; if he could also managed to damage the suit at the same time, though, that could possibly help with making sure Iris doesn't die. As a result of his calculation, Ash grabbed Raichu's Poké Ball next.

" _ **Raichu! I choose you!"**_  Ash called, as he sent out the Mouse Pokémon in all of his glory as Raichu exclaimed in joy as its entirely body surrounded itself in a powerful explosion of an aura. Guzzlord looked to be a pretty durable target, so Ash didn't waste time in giving Raichu as much power as possible for this one attack he had on in mind.

With Raichu flying up in the air, riding his tail like a surfboard, Raichu steadied himself and took aim at Guzzlord with Ash's mind guiding his own as to where to descend and rise up. As Ash gestured for Raichu to move, Raichu suddenly flew down towards Guzzlord with an immense force; unleashing a very, very powerful surge of electricity in his wake, as Raichu flew from behind Guzzlord and just narrowly touching Iris by her hair; the sudden shock Iris felt both Guzzlord's knockout and Raichu's touch caused her to scream with agony, all the while the suit's number decreased to two, but the suit suddenly went offline as Iris was panting heavily.

" **A-Ash… this is for the best; please, forget about me while you still can… If you keep this up, I don't think you'll like how this will end."**  Iris said, as Guzzlord's unconscious form on the ground was taken back into its Poké Ball by Iris. Ash shook his head.

" _ **I can't; I have to save you from yourself and win this so I can finally prove to everyone I'm nobody to be afraid of."**_  Ash said, as Raichu floated back towards Ash's side with an angered gaze.

"Rai! Raichu!" Raichu called out, as Raichu gazed upon the Poké Ball Iris was grabbing from her belt next; this time, she had sent out a relatively ordinary Pokémon from what Ash could tell from its aura; the last one she had left, though, he wasn't sure what to expect though.

" **Haxorus, now is your chance!"**  Iris called, as the sudden boost of energy from Iris, all the while Iris' golden heartsoul energy intensity as she let out a loud yell, which translated to a powerful roar from Haxorus was Haxorus suddenly transformed in shape; dual sided axes took form from its back as wings, as Haxorus' arms transformed into energy blades from its claws as Haxorus' green scales turned pitch black, with the form having blue eyes; Warlord-Haxorus takes its chance to shine.

"Warlord-Haxorus, the Unstoppable Pokémon and the Synchronization Form of Haxorus. Its blades ascended into pure energy form; in this state, Haxorus can fly and slash apart any obstacle that stands before it without much effort. Its scales become pitch black upon becoming this form." Bianca's Pokédex elaborated on Iris' Warlord-Haxorus, as Warlord-Haxorus let loose an incredible roar of rage towards Raichu, all the while it suddenly exploded with a powerful energy around itself.

As it opened its jaws as its body became encircled by a violet energy, it exhaled an entire, flying dragon of pure energy as it flew at an immense speed and force directly into Raichu. As Raichu flew around the battlefield to try and avoid it, the living projectile knew it would not intend to miss Raichu at all. Flying into the air to make sure the surrounding area wouldn't be damaged any further, Raichu ended up taking the blast as the dragon energy exploded around him, as Raichu fell down from the sky as he fell into Ash's arms as Ash quickly grabbed him.

As Ash returned Raichu to his Poké Ball, Ash looked on towards Iris with a stern gaze; he knew he had to do something to save Iris, and he had to hurry. Even with Warlord-Haxorus appearing to be an easy target, he could not waste Altair so soon if Iris' last Pokémon turned out to be far, far worse than any of the others so far. In fact, Ash's attempts to read its aura had difficulty because he couldn't identify the aura at all; it felt like two signals showing up to him at once in the same body, making it impossible for him to identify.

" _ **Alright, Samurott, I'm counting on you!"**_  Ash called, as he sent out Samurott next as Samurott exploded with energy immediately upon being called out; in response, Warlord-Samurott was awaken yet again near instantly as Warlord-Samurott unleashed a savage roar towards Warlord-Haxorus, as Warlord-Haxorus responded with an equally savage roar. As the two Warlord Pokémon glared each other down, Warlord-Haxorus rushed forward with its claws as Warlord-Samurott rushed forward with its Seamitanas as when both of them collided, the shockwave generated by the two of them created a powerful downburst of air that scattered the debris from the crater further.

As Bianca and Cheren both stood their ground to try and stabilize themselves with the powerful gale force hitting them, Ash remained steady as did Iris, with Nanu helping Misty and Drayden from being sent flying by the blast of wind. As Warlord-Samurott jumped into the air, he raised his Seamitanas to spike Warlord-Haxorus down into the ground, all the while Warlord-Haxorus jumped into the air to fly and avoid the attack, all the while moving to strike with its laser blade claws, to which Warlord-Samurott parried with his Seamitanas.

As Warlord-Haxorus suddenly fired powerful, meteorite projectiles towards Warlord-Samurott, Warlord-Samurott cut through each of them as well as knocking the last of then back into Warlord-Haxorus, to which Warlord-Haxorus proceeded to engage Warlord-Samurott in yet another game of Deadman's Volley based off of how they both deflected the meteor chunk towards the other with their respective bladed weaponry.

Unlike before, instead of Warlord-Haxorus making the projectile bigger like how Primarina did, Warlord-Haxorus simply added more projectiles individually for Warlord-Samurott to try and deflect in hopes one of them would hit and explode upon contact. As Warlord-Haxorus continued to slash each of them back towards Warlord-Haxorus, Warlord-Haxorus added another for each repeated attempt. However, even this was not enough as Warlord-Samurott eventually just shattered all of them with his Seamitanas and moved to knock Warlord-Haxorus into the air using his Seamitanas individually from himself like a vortex.

As Warlord-Samurott grabbed his seamitanas again, he moved to repeatedly hack and slash against Warlord-Haxorus' armored body fiercely and with incredible intensity, to the point when Warlord-Samurott moved to make the finishing blow, it did not anticipate on Warlord-Haxorus cutting apart both Seamitanas and rendering them useless. At the same time, now that the Seamitanas were gone, Warlord-Haxorus blasted Warlord-Samurott point blank with an explosive meteorite from his maw, causing the Indomitable Pokémon to be sent back flying.

At this point, Warlord-Samurott was without a weapon… or so it would seem. Suddenly moving to tear its own, armored helmet off of its head with its robust arms, Warlord-Samurott equipped the helmet onto his left arm as he intended to use it as a weapon for the remainder of this fight. Warlord-Haxorus, meanwhile, roared while slashing its claws together to try and intimidate Warlord-Samurott. Warlord-Samurott charged forward with the lance-like helmet and using a powerful burst of water to propel himself forward, all the while freezing the horn of his helmet in ice to ensure it would most definitely hurt Warlord-Haxorus.

Warlord-Haxorus, not wanting to be outcompeted by Warlord-Samurott, suddenly tore off the removable wings from its backside and threw them towards Warlord-Samurott as shuriken blades; Warlord-Samurott used his helmet to deflect them, as Warlord-Samurott charged forward yet again to strike Warlord-Haxorus with an intense bolt of icy energy. Warlord-Haxorus, crying out in pain, wasn't as audible as Iris crying out in pain as well.

" _ **Iris! Hang in there, I'm sorry!"**_  Ash called towards Iris in worry.

" **Don't worry about me I said!"**  Iris yelled back at Ash, all the while Ash growled towards Iris.

" _ **Why?! Why are you wanting to throw your life away like this?! Why are you so willing to just let yourself die so recklessly?!"**_  Ash called out Iris for, as Iris glared at Ash with a furious gaze.

"…  **Why? You honestly think you didn't know why? Did you never see how often I kept seeing you and Misty bounce off of each other, and yet how I was more or less a third wheel for your attention by comparison?"**  Iris asked Ash, as Ash blinked.

" _ **Iris, what are you talking abo-"**_

" _ **SHUT IT! You know very well I don't have the same bond you and Misty have; all I knew of you made me rush into this relationship too suddenly; I shamed myself because of the disappointment Drayden had in me, so now I must pay for my own sins…"**_  Iris said to Ash as she began to break down crying. Warlord-Haxorus, in the heat of the moment, had let its guard down, as Warlord-Samurott was ready to strike once more with his helmet.

" _ **Iris…"**_  Ash spoke out.  _ **"Listen to me…"**_  Ash said to Iris, all the while Iris was focusing her full attention on Ash now.

" _ **I know it's rough not having had the same experience Misty and I shared at the Hall of Origin, but I know a way for us both to reconcile over this in the end if I can manage to meet it ever again to ask it the favor."**_  Ash said to Iris, as Iris was readying herself to fight again considering she still had a job to do.

" **Ash, I understand you still want me in your life; I just can't go without punishing myself for my foolishness."**  Iris said, as she readied herself for combat again with her gaze becoming intense.

" **I love you, Ash, so please; JUST DO US ALL A FAVOR AND LOSE TO ME!"**  Iris yelled towards Ash, as Warlord-Haxorus charged forward with its blade claws as it moved to slam them both into Warlord-Samurott's sides, just as Warlord-Samurott charge forward with its helmet.

In the wake of the aftermath; both Ash and Iris yelled from the sting of the finishing blow both Pokémon landed against each other. Warlord-Samurott and Warlord-Haxorus suddenly powered down back to Samurott and Haxorus respectively, but mere moments after they both did, both of them collapsed at the exact same time, as both Ash and Iris called them both back to their Poké Balls.

" _ **Altair; he's the only one of Ash's remaining, isn't he?"**_  Arceus spoke up through Misty yet again, as everyone was focused on Misty; Arceus' tone didn't sound confident here; it felt oddly frightened.

"Yeah, why?" Nanu asked Arceus, as Arceus kept a stern gaze on the entire fight.

" _ **I had once met Arcturus during her prime before; she was a powerful Lucario, and she definitely proved Sirius' worth as an Aura Guardian. Her son, Sirius, definitely proved his worth despite being nothing more than a runt who could only access 50% of his power at all times. However, with Altair on the other hand…"**_  Arceus began to explain.

" _ **Altair is the stuff of nightmares due to being stuck as a Mega Lucario, and I know exactly why; an Ultrarus specimen is infected into Altair's blood stream, which not only gave him knowledge of the Ultra Beasts of the other worlds unknown, but also gave him a power that no other Lucario has had or ever will have again; the Ultra Boost."**_  Arceus continued, as Nanu decided to interrupt.

"So you're saying Altair will explode with the same radiation as Ultra Beasts once he enters the ring, correct?" Nanu asked Arceus, as Arceus nodded.

" _ **Indeed; however, with Altair, due to the unique aura form that Ash has managed to achieve, in combination with Altair's natural aura, and then further stacked with the Ultrarus virus, I feel that Altair's strengths will make him one of the few Pokémon I've ever remotely seen of his kind if he ends up awakening his maximum potential here and now in this very fight."**_  Arceus finished, as everyone focused their attention on Ash and Iris now.

As Ash regained his bearings, he grabbed Altair's Poké Ball with a nod,  _ **"Alright, Altair, I'll need you for this last dance."**_  Ash spoke up, as he called out Altair as the Mega Lucario awoke from his Poké Ball and exploded with the same aura Ash had just like with Unfezant, Raichu, and Samurott. In an odd twist, Altair gained the same Ho-Oh wings that Ash had in energy form as well, all the while Warlord-Samurott's Seamitanas materialized as swords for Altair to wield.

" **Alright, Ash; who am I going up against?"**  Altair asked, as the sound of Iris' last Poké Ball opening up would reveal the answer; everyone, all but Nanu, were completely dead silent as to what exactly emerged from the final Poké Ball of Iris' team; folding her arms up together as she stood very tall, Bianca's Pokédex yet again summarized what they were seeing here and now.

"Omegamon appeared."

**To Be Continued.**


	72. Chapter 71: Ultimatum Part 3

**Ash VS Iris Finale:**

Ash's eyes were widened to say the least; he could very well recognize both of the auras he can see from this being, especially considering its arms, a MetalGarurumon right arm and WarGreymon left arm respectively, all but flat out state to Ash that either this being, this "Omegamon" as it's called, is an evolution of one or the other or if what auras Ash can see indicates, a fusion of the two.

Everyone was in similar shock; they hadn't seen any being like it that was a fusion entity before, but Nanu's lack of surprise seems like he's already fully aware of this scenario. It wasn't until Drayden was slowly coming to that Nanu decided to speak up about it.

"So, Drayden; care to ask how you managed to convince Flare and Tempest to fuse into Raiga over an issue as forced and petty as this?" Nanu asked Drayden, as Drayden was moving to stand all the while rubbing his forehead due to the pain he felt after what Nanu did to him.

"You know you really shouldn't beat someone up considering you're from the International Police."

"And you should know better than to put someone's life on the line solely because you can't comprehend how people such as Ash can even exist, some ungrateful bastards you Unova Gym Leaders are." Nanu told off Drayden, as Drayden moved to watch the stare down between Altair and Raiga.

"… Why aren't they moving yet…?" Cheren asked, as Bianca and Misty were silent; Arceus had no comment just yet; it wasn't going to hold everyone's hands if someone else already knew how to explain what was going on.

"Because, Cheren, Raiga's presence alone has been known to be traditionally disturbing to Pokémon, especially the Lucario family; any Pokémon with an ability to sense aura will be pulled for a loop with the species of Digimon that Raiga is. She's an Omegamon, which is a fusion, or Jogress Evolution as they call it, of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Pokémon naturally don't have an ability to comprehend other entities that have more than one aura in a single body, which is the case with Raiga since she's Flare and Tempest fused into one entity. Omegamon is also akin to a Legendary Pokémon from what I've heard; part of a group of Digimon called the 'Royal Knights', but apparently the rules apply differently in her world than ours with our own Legendary Pokémon." Nanu explained to Cheren, all the while Raiga was oddly stoic considering her two composites while staring down Altair.

Flare was dumb muscle for the most part who was prone to being captured when caught off guard, that was for certain. Tempest was weaker but he knew how to trick people with his words and his type of arsenal, and was much friendlier when compared to Flare's aggressive warrior instinct. Raiga, however, seemed like she was an entirely separate Digimon from either of those two; by the time Flare or Tempest would've already spoken, Raiga is dead silent in a combat situation, making it difficult to grasp what kind of personality she has compared to her components.

Altair, much like what Nanu said, wasn't able to comprehend Raiga's existence very well; he could vaguely get a clue as to what exactly Raiga is, but the memory is so faint and so out of left field he barely even knew if it would apply. The Ultrarus, as Arceus called it, gave him knowledge on the Ultra Beasts at birth; putting his thought on it, he could now vaguely recall Necrozma having its own form of fusion regarding the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and Lunala, which even Necrozma was one of them despite all three of them being Ultra Beasts as he thinks about them.

Suddenly, though, Altair snapped to reality as Raiga began to walk; being around 12-14 feet high, with massively built arms based off of the heads of her components and having a humanoid build had her footsteps rather audible and alerting Altair's senses like no tomorrow. Altair, in response to Raiga attempting to size him up, proceeded to walk around Raiga in an attempt to try and remotely gauge how much power he would need to use to score the win here; he had no idea how to determine Raiga's power, so anything he remotely was told would be necessary would suffice.

As Altair realized his aura was coming from a divine form of aura Ash now could tap into, Altair realized the situation was serious; especially looking at the pained Iris made it clear to him Ash is doing what he can to save Iris from herself; all Altair needed to know now was who was going to make the first move and how.

In a sudden burst of speed, Raiga thrusted her left arm outward to her side as a massive blade emerged from the mouth of it; the Grey Sword. Altair, readying to respond by twirling the makeshift Seamitana s around, was suddenly taken for a loop when Raiga suddenly vanished from view. Altair, closing his eyes to detect Raiga's aura, could not have reacted any sooner than he did when he twisted around and parried Raiga's attempt to strike with the Grey Sword with his own Seamitanas.

With both compatants deciding to drop the pretenses, both of them suddenly rushed backwards as they both suddenly rushed each other with their respective bladed weapons; as their blades clashed with each other in impact, Altair was struggling to match Raiga's power as he pushed his own aura to its maximum ability for all he could as to even remotely get Raiga to budge. Raiga, meanwhile, unsheathed a giant cannon from her right arm, as she moved to aim it towards Altair and suddenly firing an immense blast of energy that made Altair's movements slow down due to the chilling cold of the blast.

However, having his own aura exploded around him, he warmed himself from the cold and awaited Raiga's thrust forward with her own blade, as Altair suddenly vanished and reappeared behind Raiga as both of his legs were kicking against her head to try and even remotely do damage to her. Raiga didn't even flinch, leading to Altair using Aura Storm without waiting for charging it to blast Raiga at point blank; it actually pushed back Raiga a good chunk of a distance, but Raiga's cannon, the Garuru Cannon, fired at Altair again and as Altair used both of his hands to block the attack, he was also pushed back, but by an even greater distance.

Raiga, at this point, vanished due to her sudden speed as she drop kicked Altair from behind as Altair collided with the Garuru Cannon projectile as the immense energy exploded around him. However, when Raiga was moving in to strike with the Grey Sword, Altair's eyes suddenly shot wide open as his aura suddenly ignited in an explosion that burned and dulled the edge of the Grey Sword before it could do much harm to him. Raiga, moving to slash with it in such a manner that would've decapitated Altair, suddenly had Altair vanish on him again, only for Raiga to turn around and blast the air with the Garuru Cannon.

Despite the attempt to foresee Altair's attack, Altair waited and struck once she had fired the blast of energy and pulled out an Aura Bomb near immediately to trap her between two explosive projectiles at once, which cause a bright flash that made every civilian of Opelucid City turn their attention towards the trashed gym as they moved to avoid getting blown away by the shockwave. As Raiga sheathed the Garuru Cannon, Raiga suddenly jumped forward with the Grey Sword as did Altair with the aura Seamitanas, as the sudden clash of the two blades yet again caused the ground to rip and tear apart beneath them; a massive fissure forming between Ash and Iris.

Ash at this rate knew if he didn't intervene on his own Iris could very well die; he knew something would penalize him for trying to enter the ring, but considering the ring was gone at this point, he decided to slowly walk to approach Iris.

" _ **I-Iris…"**_  Ash called out as his voice sounded pained. Iris' eyes were glazed over from the shock her body was feeling due to the effects of the suit and how insanely far she was forced to push her heartsoul amplification than any normal person should.

" **A-Ash…? W-What are you doing…?"**  Iris asked, uncertain about why Ash was approaching her at a time like this. Jumping over the fissure, Ash moved to deactivate his aura as he transferred the power directly into Altair; Ash calmed as he approached Iris, having to deal with the power of her heartsoul energy overwhelming his senses and nearly making his own aura awaken again on its own.

As Altair and Raiga continued their fight, Altair suddenly used the immense boost in aura from Ash to generate an Aura Bomb so massive it would be more than enough to take down Raiga; Altair didn't realize, however, that he was being far too reckless here as the civilians around him looked troubled by what he was nearly ready to do.

As Altair looked around at the innocent civilians watching the fight between him and Raiga, Raiga was moving in to seemingly kill Altair with her Garuru Cannon unsheathed and pointed his way, which would detonate the Aura Bomb with it.

" **Raiga, s-stop…"**  Iris spoke, very quietly, but Raiga didn't listen. Billie, Giselle, Alain and many others were beginning to let out their Pokémon in a preparation to all gang up on Raiga if absolutely necessary. As Raiga noticed the ground, she was quick to point the Garuru Cannon their way…

… Just as Altair decided to absorb the Aura Bomb back into him using his palms at an incredible rate; the sheer increase of power Altair suddenly experienced suddenly got Raiga's attention again; within a very, very swift motion, both of Raiga's armored weapons were forcefully severe from her body, and exposing ordinary, white armored arms underneath of them as the Grey Sword and Garuru Cannon were no longer a threat.

" **A-Ash… W-Why do you have to be so stubborn…?"**  Iris asked of Ash, as her heartsoul energy was beginning to fade as Ash drew near; she could feel his breath next to hers right now, both of them exhausted as Ash was quiet and calm with removing the device on Iris' chest. He didn't even focus on Altair suddenly grabbing Raiga in a choke hold and throwing her into the air as he suddenly flew after her, his aura blazing in a near white color in sheer heat alone.

" _ **I-Iris… I want you back with us… Back with Misty and me… I don't want you to die; none of us do."**_  Ash calmly spoke to Iris; Iris could care less with the fact Ash had to be in such close proximity and removing the suit around her to both absorb the Heartsoul energy from her and disarm the suit's shock system, but leaving her exposed. That didn't matter at the moment; only one thing came to her mind.

" **W-Why are you forgiving me for having been willing to do this to you…?"**  Iris asked Ash, as Ash was silent as he tried to think of an answer for her. Altair, by the time he rushed Raiga again, was locked in a rapid-fire fisticuffs with Raiga as both of them were successfully parrying each other's blows, up until Altair's aura suddenly ignited around him as his body was practically on fire when he knees Raiga in the stomach.

As Nanu and Drayden were watching, they could see Raiga being tossed into the ground as Altair suddenly fired off Aura Storm at point blank yet again; Raiga getting knocked back and rag dolling across the ground upon impact.

" _ **Iris… I know you did this on your own, but it wasn't your idea; it wasn't what you truly wanted, but rather someone ordering you to do it; you're an innocent forced into a situation beyond your control. I-I know this sounds crazy, but I'm not mad at anyone for what they did today; I'm not mad at any of the Gym Leaders for what they've been doing behind my back. I'm not mad because I'm willing to forgive them, everyone, even you, if people could understand me better rather than try to judge me too soon."**_  Ash told Iris; Iris practically nude in terms of covering as she felt cold, with Ash proving her warmth with his cloak being given to her to wrap herself up in.

" _ **Iris… I…"**_

As Raiga was trying to get back up, she manifested the Garuru Cannon to open fire repeatedly upon Altair as Altair flew towards her at immense speeds readying to land the finishing blow.

" _ **Love…"**_

As the Garuru Cannon's projectiles kept getting dodged by Altair, Raiga, out of sheer frustration with her humiliation suddenly stood back up and manifested her Grey Sword, as she moved to suddenly charge Ash and Iris out of spite.

" _ **You… I love you, Iris."**_

Ash finally said to Iris, as he moved a single hand before Raiga's Grey Sword as his golden, Ho-Oh-like aura manifested in seconds and shattered the Grey Sword like glass before their eyes. Raiga, just about to aim the Garuru Cannon at Ash, suddenly had the Garuru Cannon get the same treatment without Ash having to move further.

Floored by her humiliation in full effect, she didn't have the time to realize Altair had grabbed her by the neck again, as she was turned around dragged away from Ash and Iris, before being slammed into the ground with Raiga struggling to stand back up. As Altair stomped before her as Raiga was getting ready to stand again, Altair charged all of his aura into a his right fist, as he suddenly threw a punch straight into Raiga's gut with it.

Raiga, feeling unyielding pain from Altair's finishing blow, was suddenly propelled at immense speeds into the horizon as the area around her felt an incredible shockwave as she was launched into the air and beyond the horizon at speeds too fast for her to control. Altair, looking to where Raiga vanished in the sky with a bright flash, nodded to himself as he finally turned to Ash and Iris and walking over towards them.

"A-Ash… thank you, for forgiving me after what I had done… There's only so few ways I can thank you, but first…" Iris said, as she shot a glare over towards Drayden to come on over as she was wanting him to hand her something; Drayden approached and handed her exactly what she was wanting; the Legend Badge, as Iris now handed it to Ash, with Ash calmly taking it and putting it into his badge case.

"And this, is for being honest with me…" Iris said, as Ash was interrupted before he could speak with Iris kissing him on the lips; Ash was startled by the sudden move, as he could only move to allow Misty to join into the embrace and she had moved to kiss first Ash, then Iris next, as the three of them hugged each other with passion as they welcomed each other's presence.

"So, Ash, if I may interrupt." Nanu spoke up as he approached Ash, Misty, and Iris. "Now that you have the Legend Badge, I take it you finally have all eight badges, correct?" Nanu asked, as Ash looked at the older man with a nod.

"Good to hear, because I'm going to need all of you to listen up for anybody planning on making the trip for the Pokémon League. Is that clear everyone?" Nanu asked as he looked around for Ash's other friends; Cheren, Bianca, Alain, Giselle, Billie, Hilbert, and Hilda, as well as a few others among the crowd of citizens such as Alain's younger brother, as well as the two other kids that Ash, Cheren, and Bianca challenged ages ago.

"The Pokémon League is strict with its rules for transportation there; to be allowed on the premises, you need all eight badges; to even get on the premises, you need all eight badges or at the very least a civilian pass to enter." Drayden spoke up so that Nanu didn't have to worry about explaining this. Nanu turned to leave since it was clear his job was done here.

"The Pokémon League has a strict no flying zone; entry with a Pokémon mount is prohibited if the Pokémon can fly in the air. Any Pokémon you can use to arrive on foot is fair game. Trainers who plan to participate in the Pokémon League, however, don't get access to the easy route with going there at all; they must pass through an area called Victory Road." Drayden detailed.

"To the north is Route 10, and at the very end is the entrance to Victory Road; Victory Road earns its name as being the final test for any trainer who enters the Pokémon League before being entered into the Pokémon League proper. There is more to it than just this, but that information won't be necessary until you get there." Drayden detailed further, as everyone gave him a nod.

"With that said, everyone be prepared to take on the Pokémon League for anyone who plans to participate in it; security has been difficulty as of late, a bunch of troublemakers passing through unnoticed and-"

"Troublemakers? I take it you mean Pokémon Trainers, correct?" Someone from the crowd spoke up in a troubled, gravelly voice. Ash, Cheren, and Bianca turned around with their eyes widening at who they saw approach.

"Ghetsis of Team Plasma? Pleasant surprise to see you here." Drayden said as he stepped in the way of Ghetsis and the others; Drayden may have his own issues at times, but with Ghetsis he knew that Ghetsis warranted such actions more than anyone else.

"Drayden, might I ask why the hostility towards me with why I've helped gather this crowd here? I came here peacefully, only escorted by my guards from Team Plasma, as soon as I heard the commotion about what was going on with this particular gym battle and realized something troublesome." Ghetsis spoke up, his voice calm as he looked towards the wreck of Opelucid City's Gym.

"Look around, everyone; do you understand now why Pokémon liberation is important? When Pokémon Trainers abuse the power of their own Pokémon, they have no idea as to how to prevent themselves from causing damages to property or person. Just imagine yourself in a situation for a moment, such as a simple relaxation at a hot spring. The men get rile up and are prone to using Pokémon for their own competition against each other, with the women joining next. What happens after that? The whole facility needs to be closed and the people forced off of the premises, not just because they could have harmed someone, but because the Pokémon they were using had no reason to be fighting battles that weren't even their own." Ghetsis began to say to the crowd; the crowd was beginning to talk among themselves as to how Ghetsis may have had a point in all of this, especially after what had happened today.

"When people abuse their Pokémon for their own gain, property damage and destruction can ensue, perhaps even the death of an innocent. What would you or your Pokémon think about this? Your Pokémon would have to live with guilt forever knowing they've wronged humanity against their will, and humans get away scot free with forcing these Pokémon into such situations. It seems nobody truly takes the Pokémon into consideration here, and I do sincerely hoped that this view of yours changes by the time of the Pokémon League…" Ghetsis said as he began to walk away; Team Plasma Grunts escorting him away as everyone else watched him leave.

' _For all you people know, you're just putting targets on your head for when I begin to take back what is mine…'_

**To Be Continued.**


	73. Chapter 72: Heart and Soul

Ash was booting up the PC as his Pokémon were being healed at the Pokémon Center, as Bianca placed a Poké Ball on the PC as it was transferred into the VR Ranch, in which both Ash and Bianca's Landorus and Thundurus appeared on the PC. Landorus and Thundurus, giving both of their trainers a parting look, vanished from the VR Ranch altogether as the procedure to send them back into the real world as free, wild Legendary Pokémon once more commenced.

"So… That encounter escalated quickly." Cheren spoke up, as Ash and Bianca turned to face him.

"It did; just how long things were when we all first met." Bianca told Cheren, all the while Ash looked around to notice that Misty and Iris went somewhere else for the moment, all the while everyone else was also elsewhere as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca were all to themselves.

"… I'm getting a lot of déjà vu here all of a sudden." Ash spoke up, as Cheren blinked.

"How so?" Cheren asked Ash.

"Do you remember how the three of us first had a day all to ourselves so many years ago, free from the watch of our parents?" Ash asked, as Cheren groaned a bit.

"Please don't remind me about that…" Cheren said, as Bianca moved to quickly peck Cheren on the cheek.

"Don't be like that, Cheren; we've come so far after all. Can't we be allowed to reminiscence on the old days?" Bianca asked, as Cheren nodded.

"It's a good thing to remember how the past used to be, but at the same time, er…" Cheren spoke up as he blushed, "I can't help but recall how sick I got when we were hanging out at Ash's house because of how much chocolate I ended up having there." Cheren said as he chuckled a bit nervously.

"Personally I'm surprised you bothered to ask for chocolate pancakes of all things." Ash told Cheren, as Cheren chuckled nervously again.

"Don't remind me, please; I would've rather had your regular pancakes in all honesty." Cheren said, as Bianca chuckled a bit.

"Speaking of which, the sun is beginning to set and fast; should we dine out at the Café, or should I cook for all of us tonight?" Ash asked, as Cheren and Bianca thought about it, with the two of them nodding in approval at the thought.

"We'd be thankful if you wanted to do so, Ash." Cheren said, as Ash nodded as he walked upstairs in the Pokémon Center, before he was stopped by the sudden approach of Nurse Joy.

"Excuse me, Ash Ketchum, correct?" Nurse Joy asked, as Ash turned around to look at her and nodded.

"Yes?"

"Your Unfezant is being fitted with a special treatment to give her wing strength again; she seemed to have always had a damaged wing from birth, so we're fitting her with a prosthetic that can more easily resist damage to her wing. We're surprised she's as strong as she is to be so calm about the treatment." Nurse Joy told Ash, as Nurse Joy noticed the eight, distinct shines from Ash's badge case.

"O-Oh my… Are those all eight badges?" She asked next, as Ash nodded, before Nurse Joy grabbed something from her pocket as she handed Ash a special key card.

"On the third floor of any Pokémon Center in Unova are special VIP bedrooms exclusive to access for anybody who has fulfilled the requirements to enter the Pokémon League. The rooms are larger, contain efficient cooking facilities installed for home cooked meals, and provide plenty of rest and relaxation to anybody who wants a good night sleep during a hot or cold night in peace and quiet." Nurse Joy said, before moving to bow before Ash, Cheren, and Bianca gracefully.

"We hope you find yourself comfortable with the VIP bedrooms, Pokémon League entrée." Nurse Joy said, before moving to walk back downstairs. As Ash, Bianca, and Cheren looked at each other, the three of them nodded as they walked towards the central elevator in the second floor that led up to the third floor.

Outside, Misty and Iris were in a surprise confrontation with someone, as Iris had sent out Rayquaza on the side as she was still loaned it to use, all the while Misty and none other than Aldith were locked together with their hands grappling with each other, as Kyogre and Groudon respectively were equally locked in place in a similar stance.

Misty, suddenly moving to kick Aldith down with her knee, before spin kicking her in her side to the ground, was greeted with Groudon being forcefully shoved back by Kyogre's Ice Beam.

"Misty, for once listen to me for once after all of this time!" Aldith spoke up, her voice cracking as she sounded pained yet also upset about something.

"Misty, who even is this anyways?!" Iris called from the sidelines with Rayquaza on standby. Rayquaza didn't appear to need to do anything just yet; its mere presence alone was enough to prevent even worse damages to the nearby area from Kyogre and Groudon.

"Shut up, wench!" Aldith shouted as she seemed to have forced that out of herself to say, as her figure looked like it was trembling now. Iris was about to comment something on the situation, but once she noticed Aldith's shaking, she couldn't help but feel something was wrong.

"Misty, seriously, who is she?" Iris asked, all the while Misty continued to glare at Aldith all the while Misty moved to charge her shadow as she grappled with her yet again; Kyogre suddenly pushed its immense weight against Groudon in sync, but the even heavier Groudon, oddly enough, actually budged significantly because of it.

"She's getting weak." A voice spoke up from behind Iris, taking the dark skinned gym leader by surprise as she looked back as she saw the Shadow Triad standing behind her; only one of them, however, and judging by his red eyes, it appeared to be the alternate Chili.

"Don't you remember from your fight against Ash? You tapped heavily into Heartsoul amplification that you absorbed additional energy from Rayquaza just to keep yourself alive." The individual shadow spoke, as Rayquaza responded by giving the specter an aside glance as if acknowledging what he said being true.

"Indeed, Rayquaza; your two eternal burdens have been owned by Misty and Aldith here, because Aldith had immediately sought out Groudon upon becoming a separate entity from Misty. However, whereas me and my brothers could withstand the pressure by being from an alternate timeline, Aldith cannot last for much longer in the same timeline as her original being." Chili's shadow spoke, all the while looking over at Groudon.

"I only worry about who will take care of Groudon, though; I know the outcome of this will be simple enough, but Groudon's fate remains unclear to me." He finished, as Groudon was knocked backwards when Kyogre suddenly slammed its giant finds against him akin to giant sized, reinforced paddles. Groudon, suddenly charging energy as its black stripes glowed a dark blue, drew in energy from the sun to begin its next attack against Kyogre.

However, Kyogre already knew that by this point, the battle was over; Kyogre manifested small, but numerous spheres of watery energy around itself, before launching them at Groudon as each of them exploded into soaking wet blasts of a powerful attack against Groudon's hide; steam erupted from where Groudon's body was hit, before the attack it was attempting to charge suddenly ceased as Groudon collapsed onto the ground before it in a heap.

Kyogre looked physically exhausted; had it been able to enter its Primal Forme, this would've been over in seconds with its rain summoning abilities; Rayquaza's nearby presence, however, prevented that from happening, and thus neither it nor Groudon could use their respective full powered abilities. As Kyogre suddenly moved to rest itself on the ground, it ended up collapsing on the ground with an immense thud as it let out a cry of exhaustion.

Misty and Aldith, meanwhile, each looked just as exhausted as Kyogre and Groudon respectively. Aldith was on the ground, on her knees panting and gasping for air, all the while Misty limped over towards her while, in an odd gesture, offering her hand to Aldith. Aldith's eyes, glazed over and looking weak as her more menacing eyes looked crazed in the fatigue she felt, slowly looked up towards Misty as she growled towards her counterpart.

"You want me back… Do you have something to prove?" Aldith asked, as Misty was, as usual, silent with answering. Misty, shaking her head, earned a growl from Aldith in response. "Then why do you want me back? There is no other reason you'd ever want me back in your head…" Aldith spoke up, as Misty frowned a bit in a stubborn gaze. Aldith, upon realizing the only other reason Misty would be doing this, slowly began to chuckle.

"Y-You want to save my life from what'll happen next…? Is that it?" Aldith asked, as her chuckling slowly turned into full on laughter. "Misty, you're a wonder of the world with the type of stubbornness you have; just like your mum and everyone else you've known back in Kanto, you are nothing short of a stubborn woman who will always do whatever it takes to get her way… hehe…" Aldith spoke up, as her laughter died down a little as her eyes shifted to look more normal.

"However, even in times like these, your stubbornness had ultimately proven to be stronger than mine… I was a fool taking up a job at Team Plasma, I truly was; that is all I have to say as to why I feel you've earned the right to take me back; to free me from my prison that is the burden of Ghetsis' desires for all of Unova…" Aldith said, as she noticed Misty wasn't moving an inch still, which caused Aldith to frown a little.

"Well?! What are you waiting for?! I don't got all day! Fuse!"

As Aldith angrily shouted her commands to Misty, Aldith took Misty's hand as Misty suddenly channeled a storm of heartsoul energies around herself and Aldith, all the while the two of them were glowing with an immense, white light as the area around themselves were equally blinded by the immense light shining from the two. As the light died down, what was once two now became one once more.

Iris looked on in shock; Misty grabbed both Poké Balls used to contain Kyogre and Groudon and returned them inside for them to rest, all the while Iris did the same with Rayquaza as she moved to run up towards Misty and wonder what all was to be expected now that Aldith was gone. Sure, Iris didn't know her as much as the others did, but even then Iris knew something different was to be expected from this somehow.

"Misty? Are you alright after that?" Iris asked, all the while Misty looked over towards Iris, as she smiled warmly before moving to hug her.

"Yes, I'm fine now; more than I ever was. Let's go back and meet up with Ash, alright?" Misty spoke, catching Iris' attention off guard as Iris' eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You actually s-spoke… Y-You… Y-Y-You…" Iris was beginning to stutter, just as Misty pecked Iris on the lips as Iris' face turned beat red in embarrassment as she ended up passing out in Misty's arms, causing the water type gym leader to carefully lift up Iris and lead her back into the Pokémon Center. Looking around, it appeared that Chili's shadow had vanished from view entirely during all of this.

As Ash was cooking a meal for Cheren, Bianca, and himself, he couldn't help but remember how he first met his two childhood friends. After all they had been through together; after how they had strived to become Pokémon Trainers ever since they were 10 years old; how now, even after all of the trouble they had been through, all three of them are happy to be living their dreams and lives in the present.

Giselle and Billie, meanwhile, were in the Pokémon Center in one of the arenas with the former's Haxorus and the latter's Arbok in a fight with each other, with Hilda and Hilbert watching by the sidelines.

"They both like to battle a lot, don't they." Hilda spoke up, as Hilbert watched the two as he nodded.

"Yeah."

"They seem really into it at times; they seem to be lost and staring into each other's eyes when they battle." Hilda brought up, to which Hilbert blushed beside her.

"Y-Yeah." Hilbert said, before he suddenly he had his face turned around with Hilda holding Hilbert's chin up with her finger, smiling coyly at him all the while.

"Do you know what to do when someone is looking at you the same?" Hilda asked, as Hilbert's blush intensified as he tried to remain calm in all of this, with his aura flaring up very noticeably at Hilda's approach.

"Um, uh… Yeah?" Hilbert said, trying to sound confident. After letting out a groan of annoyance, Alain decided to make his presence known from behind Hilbert as he suddenly shoved him forward to where Hilbert's lips locked with Hilda's own; Hilda's eyes closing as she let out a small, amused chuckle at the gesture, all the while Hilbert's aura flared to life even more.

"What's the matter, Hilbert? Can't keep it down like Ash can?" Alain asked with a cocky grin, all the while after Hilbert had moved away from Hilda, he shot a glare towards the Charizard owning trainer.

"S-Shut up, you kid." Hilbert spoke up, all the while he blushed further when Hilda snuggled up to him while he was facing away. As he looked at the pair, Alain had a smirk on his face.

"Are you sure I'm the kid here?"

"Says the 14 year old who hasn't been kissed yet in his whole life." Hilbert tried to say to retort, but upon noticing the argument, Giselle had suddenly appeared beside Alain as she quickly, and quietly, pecked him on the cheek before Alain even realized she was there as Hilbert's eyes with Giselle walking back over towards Billie and into a hugging embrace.

"… I swear that girl has issues, that had to have been a fluke." Hilbert spoke up, all the while Alain grinned again.

"Jealous all of a sudden?" Alain replied, as Hilbert's aura flared up as he suddenly moved to tackle Hilda into the bench they were sitting on and into a heated make out session. As the two were caught up in their kiss, Alain, Billie, and Giselle were just laughing the whole duration of it. All the while, around the Pokémon Center, trainers were getting ready to prepare for bed that following night.

In Ash's bedroom, Cheren and Bianca had already moved to share a bed finally big enough for the two of them. Ash, meanwhile, had a larger bed he was more than alright with. When Misty and Iris joined him on the bed as they both moved to embrace Ash as he had fallen asleep faster due to how drained he was today, Misty and Iris gave each other a loving gaze before they moved to fall asleep as well.

Everything had changed since Ash and his friends had first started their journey; everything was no longer the same as it once was for the past 6 years since they had first desired to go on this journey. For better, or for worse, or for anywhere in between, Ash, Cheren, and Bianca improved as people and as friends as they progressed further and further into their journey.

The past holds the memory of their many adventures throughout the years they had known each other. The present detailed every moment of their adventure in the making. The future, meanwhile, held the secrets of their ultimate outcomes of their desires and dreams yet currently unknown.

"Grandis? Are you out here so late?" A voice called from somewhere else in the city; it was a snowy night out tonight, and the street lamps had only just turned out to light the place up. Walking into view was Raiga as she was accompanied by the still activing controlled Ray 01 that Chronicler hid within. As Grandis, their superior in this entire incident looked at the two, a pat on the shoulder from behind from Nanu and soon Regulus and Mewtwo suddenly joined to see him here.

"You've been through a lot of tough ordeals as of late; is something bugging you?" Regulus asked his boss, all the while Mewtwo looked at Grandis with anticipation.

"Still obsessed with the flannel I see, aren't you, Martin?" Mewtwo asked, all the while Grandis, or, as Mewtwo called him, Martin, finally let out a sigh as he looked upon Nanu.

"Status report, 000?" Martin asked the older officer in looks. As Nanu looked around the city at night, he made a clear indication on how good things were coming along with repairs after the gym battle earlier that day.

"Paths and buildings should be finished up fixing by morning; all routes from the Pokémon League, meanwhile, should be ready for use in the case of an evacuation being necessary. You're still certain we may need to make that call, Grandis?" Nanu asked, as Martin looked at him with a nod.

"Oh trust me, Nanu, don't think I'm an idiot who knows the Number #1 rule when it comes to Legendary Pokémon; never, ever take them for granted, no matter how strong of a trainer you are or even make the claim of being otherwise."

Especially if you think even the usage of a powerful Legendary Pokémon will allow N to just cheese his way to victory so easily, as he'll learn the hard way once I make my debut at the Pokémon League.

**To Be Continued.**


	74. Chapter 73: Path to Victory Road

Everyone had moved on from the chaotic gym battle yesterday; everyone always did once the frightening situations either Drayden or Iris got into was over by the next morning. Iris was walking back to her house in Opelucid City early in the morning, all the while just outside was Burgh of all people.

"You're early, mmm…" Burgh mentioned to Iris, as Iris nodded. "Did Drayden call for you this soon?" Burgh asked, as Iris shook her head no. Burgh blinked, all the while he straightened his stance as he stood tall. "Then why are you here so early?" Burgh asked, as interrupting him was a thick cough exiting the building. Clay came out into view, all the while Iris was quick to approach and shove a Poké Ball into Clay's chest in an aggressive, yet teasing manner.

"Burgh how many times did I tell you to just let people in when it comes to these meetings?" Clay spoke up, as the Poké Ball opened up as out emerged nearly 100 cores and cells assembled in place; before they bundled together, however, 90% of them dispersed across the whole area in the flash of an eye, as the remaining 10% reassembled themselves into Zygarde 10%.

Zygarde barked as it recognized Clay, as the core controlling it, as visible on the Dragon Legendary Pokémon's "collar", was the exact same one that had been used by Clay against Ash before.

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't miss you either." Clay said as he shoved Burgh back inside as Burgh ended up sliding across the ground in a frenzied panic only to be stopped from falling by Cilan, Chili, and Cress all three holding up Burgh to get him back on his feet, but the three were not exactly strong on their own even when together, as Burgh's taller form toppled over onto the three triplets as they ended up in a collapsed heap. As Iris entered the building, though, her eyes widened as to who all was here.

"You?" Iris asked, as Drayden, alongside all of the other Gym Leaders, were in the building.

"Hmm?" Drayden raised his voice in questioning, as three, robust men moved to lift up Cilan, Chili, and Cress respectively as Burgh got himself back up as Lenora lifted him up and onto his feet.

"Pathetic." The three shadows spoke up, as their normal counterparts didn't exactly chuckle with any sort of easiness in their tone.

"W-Well, uh, you see…" Chili was beginning to say to his counterpart as he was met with a hostile glare from the more intimidating shadow of himself.

"For one you're lucky your Simisear is still alive."

"And you should've been more careful with handing them over to Ash and his friends with the other two!" Cilan, Chili, and Cress spoke up at once in a surprising burst of confidence.

"Because we had every reason to hide and our three Pokémon were dead giveaways to who we are! Who else in the Unova Region bothers to use those three Pokémon anyways?!" The shadows spoke, as the Striaton brothers were about to answer, but were quickly interrupted when Lenora used her own strength to force both them and the shadow triad to separate parts of the room, her heartsoul energy flaring up immensely.

"Boys, boys, boys! Calm down, please!" Lenora spoke, as she dissipated the energy around herself, all the while Burgh and Elesa exchanged glances as to what they were being gathered for. Giving a glance to Skyla, the three exchanged glances and gave each other a nod. Drayden, meanwhile, coughed to get everyone's attention.

"Anyways… I do believe everyone here needs to listen up as to what is going to unfold within the remainder of the day." Drayden spoke up, as he snapped his fingers, "Chronicler, bring forth this prisoner you spoke of to me." Drayden called, as suddenly a portal manifested in the room as everyone watched on in shock as Chronicler emerged from the portal in his actual, human form; blue hair, a black cloak with a regular green shirt and jeans, and a cuff around his left knee, with a mask with reddish visors covering his face. As he suddenly threw over his shoulder a dark, black specter who was chained in place.

"Hello, everyone." Chronicler spoke up, all the while he watched as the "prisoner" simply floated up to assume a humanoid stance, as suddenly its "face" glowed an immense white as not a single trace of an entity could be found in its gaze.

"H͝e̴͡ļl̢͡o ҉́a͢͞g̸a͢͡i̶̸̢n,̷̛͝ ́͝G͏y̢͟͞m̸͡͞ ̢L̴͏͟ȩa͞d̨҉̧e̵͘͠r͏̴s ̨̀͘o̸f̴ ͝Ú̕͘nơ҉͠v̵̨͝a.̷̵̧" Eidolon spoke up, as he coughed a bit as he looked over at everyone in pain. "Yoư̡ ̵́̕h͟a҉v̕é̡ no̸͘͠ ̵i͢͡d̀͟͞e͝a͏̴̧ ̡ho̸̶͝w ̶̸y̶̧͢o͡u̴̧̢r ş̧up̡p͝o͞͡sed͢ ͘͢"̸̧̛u͡҉l͘͘t͝i̵̷̡m̸a̛͟t́͟e̷͜͢ ҉l̸͡if҉è͏-̵͞f̵͟or̀m"͢͟ s̕͝t̕i͏͢l̡̡͜l̛ ̀́͞h͏a͞͏s̴̷͝ ͜my̸ ̵͜c̀ḩ͟è̷s̕͘͢t̨̧ ͘i͠͡n͏ ͢s̛͘ȩ̢v҉͝e̸re ̨͡p̧á͏i̕n̕ ev҉̷e͞r̨͡ ̨͝s̨i̕͟ņcȩ͏͠ ̵̡̛t͟ha̶̴t̴̷̢ ̕͟l͡o͢n̸g ͜ti͏̵m̢e̕͡ ̵͡a͜͠g͞͡o..̵͝." He mumbled on, as everyone gave him glares and remained quiet, which prompted Eidolon to finish, "P̴̨̛e͘r̡h̶̢ap̨s ̸͠͏y͢͟͞o҉u̕ ͟a̸ll͠ c̶͞ouĺd̶͟͡ ̴̴̀b͝͠e ͞e̷̸͝n̷҉l̛͟i̢͢g͡h́́t͞͏e̶nȩ̷d̴ ̡͡w̷i҉҉̷t̛͏h ̡̢whàt́̀̕ ͢is͢͠ ̨g̵̕ó̶i̡͝n͞g̸̡ o̧͟͞n͢,̸ t̶h̷e͟n҉́?" Eidolon asked, as Drayden didn't budge as Iris approached him and Chronicler.

"Tell us everything you know." Iris demanded of Eidolon, all the while Eidolon chuckled darkly as his voice suddenly appeared to replicate Drayden's, as Drayden's eyes were wide as he found himself unable to speak properly.

"So you steal people's voices for yourself, quite an impressive feat." Brycen spoke up, before he narrowed his gaze. "That, however, will not matter when it comes to the answers we seek." Brycen said as he pulled up a video feed on the computer monitor in the room; on the screen showcased various, unusual Pokémon that didn't look like they belonged in this dimension. Next was shown Shrealibur and Zerkrion, who had next to no information on them, except for one.

Right next to them on their screens, Flare was shown next to Shrealibur, and then Tempest was shown next to Zerkrion. Eidolon, upon seeing this, merely chuckled a bit.

"Imp͢r͏e͢ssi̶v͢e ̷th͜at̀ ̢you̷ m̧a͞n͢a̡ģe̴d ̢to̕ ͠pi͜ec͜e͟ ̸t̛h̵é ́t͝wo͘ puzzles ͝t̢oge͟t͘h҉er; ̡p͞e̴r͟hap̧s̷ y͠ou̵'̢r͏e ẁo̴nde̕r͠i̴n҉g abo͏u̵t̕ ̸t͡he҉ Fo͞g̵ ́th́at̛ ͞is ͝t̨ḩe do̕p̧pel̶gan͜ge͠r҉ ͢t́hat͡ is s̴oo̷n͏ ̛t͡o ͠awa͢k͟e͟n̕...?̷ Ì'̴m h͘onest͏ly̨ moŗe͢ conce͏r͞ne͜d̨ ąb̸out̨ ͟T͘empl͜ar͟ ͏if͞ ͢a͞nyt̕h̨in̡g̶." Eidolon spoke, as he changed the monitor to showcase two different "Ultra Beasts" he referred to as "Fog" and "Templar".

Fog appeared to take the shape of a pitch black, draconic entity whose body was made entirely of fog; hatching from an egg as photographs around the northern half of Unova showcased its signature fog, it corrupted Pokémon into dark, twisted forms of themselves as Fog controlled them to do its own bidding, be it self-defense, or outright hostile intent.

Templar took the form of an entity wearing completely covering armor, resembling a human except for the fact it stood 10 feet tall, and had no visible face or even eyes to indicate its expressions or emotions. Templar was currently somewhere unknown; standing idly as a mere statue, until something would appear before it and provoke it. Drayden and Iris looked at the area surrounding it; it looked a lot like the cavernous caves in Victory Road.

"Yo̸ur҉ ͠Po͜k̛ém̧o͢n̕ ͡Le̕a͝g̷u̵e̡ c͞h̡al͞ĺén͞g͟e͘rs will̛ ́have t͡o̴ d̵ȩal with̢ T͘emp̷lar̶ on̶ ͏the͡ir͢ ̴wa̛y͠ ͏t̷h͝ro҉u͡gh ̧v̀i͡c̷t̸or̴y ̨road;́ ̨T́e͘mp͘l͜ar̨ ͏wi͡l̢l ̀v̢i͠o҉le̴ntl͏y r̢eact́ to҉w҉ar͝d̶s th͠ei̛r͟ ̢pr̀e̛s̢e̛n͝c͝e̛, ͝ás͡ Fo̵g̨ ͏w̴i͡ll͘ n̴o̡t b͟e̡ ͘ą thre͢at u͟nt͢i̴l ̸a ̴w̛hi͜l͘e̶ la͝t̵e̢r;̨ ́F̨og͢ is ̴pa̛t͟ient;̵ it͢ ͏desires to b̀u͏il͘d͡ a̶n̛ ҉ar͟my f̢i͡r͜st bef̀oré mo͏vi͟n͏g ́i҉n t̛o at̛ta̴ck. ̸T̴emplar,̵ m̶ea̡n͏wh̷i͝l̷e͠, will̵ ̶a̕t́ta̢ck͏ ́án̡y͝th̸ing ţha͟t̸ ͟so͝ m̸u̡c̀h ̵aş pro̶voke͢s̵ ̧it.͞" Eidolon explained to the Gym Leaders, as Drayden looked at the two faux Ultra Beasts with curiosity.

"So I understand you are where Fog came from, and Templar is a result of Chronicler. What about Grandis, then?" Drayden asked, as Eidolon chuckled, this time in Chili's voice.

"Ỳou w͟o̕n͟'̶t͜ n͡e͢e̕d ͝to ̕wo̷rŗy ҉ab͞o͢ưt̨ ̡h͡iḿ j́u̡s͡t̶ ̀yet; I̕ a͢s͞śur͢e you,҉ jus̶t͟ ͡d͠i͜spos̶é ̵o͜f̨ Te̶m͡pl͞a̸r҉ and Fog ̸a͠nd ̴send t͘hem ̷ba͡ck t͢hr͝o̴úgh̛ ̀Ult́r̨a̡ ̕Spa͏ce,̀ a̶nd ̕t̵h̸e͞ ҉re̶s͢t͠ wìļļ ̨so̶rt͜ it̕sel҉f ͠o͠uţ fr̴óḿ th̶ère͘.͠ Now͏ ͏t̷he͜n͡, all̷ yo̸u̸ àl̴ļ nee͝d t̛o do aft͡e̸r̸ ̢tha̧t, is͝ ̶şi̡mply ̶pr͠ȩp̀a͘re ̨for̀ ̵whateve͏r͜ ̵assaul̀t͢ ̷t́hat ̀T҉e̴am ̸P̀l͏a͜sma͠ h҉a̸s i͢n͢ st҉ore͠.̸" Eidolon told them, as everyone had a look at each other and nodded; Team Plasma actively posed a threat to Unova, but Fog and Templar appeared to be innocents who were forcefully created against whatever will they had; they were beasts who acted solely on instinct, and not from any sort of malice, just like with Shrealibur and Zerkrion.

"I concur; the beasts won't be a worry like Team Plasma will. Just working on cornering Fog and Templar and catch them like any other Pokémon, and then we'll only have Team Plasma to worry about." Chili's shadow spoke for him as Chili's regular voice was gone because of Eidolon. Eidolon nodded, as Chronicler nodded as well.

"Simple; catch and release Fog and Templar, and then worry about Team Plasma whenever they choose to strike." Chronicler spoke, as everyone nodded.

"Agreed; any other points anyone wants to bring up?" Drayden asked, as nobody spoke up or made gestures of any disagreement. As Drayden gave a gesture with his hand to dismiss everyone, the Gym Leaders began to take their leave; the shadows disappeared from sight; Chronicler and Eidolon disappeared back into the portal they emerged from, with Chronicler keeping Eidolon restrained the whole time before they were both gone.

Iris moved to leave back to the Pokémon Center where Ash and his friends were eagerly preparing for the Pokémon League ahead of them. Misty walked outside to greet Iris first.

"So what's the memo on what the Unova Gym Leaders wanting you for?" Misty asked, as Iris jumped as she had heard Misty speak in a normal voice and everything that comes with it.

"I-I'm sorry I'm still going to have to get used to this, but, er, the Gym Leaders are focused on making sure everyone is safe during the Pokémon League. Nothing more, nothing less." Iris told Misty, as Misty nodded.

"Alright, I'll tell Alain, Hilda, Giselle and the others to get ready for the walk through Victory Road." Misty said, as she turned to leave just as Iris grabbed her by her arm.

"What about Ash, Cheren, and Bianca?" Iris asked, as Misty shrugged.

"They asked for some privacy for the time being; Ash wanted to take Cheren and Bianca up to Route 10 to talk with them." Misty said, as she smiled a bit warmly. "I can't honestly blame him; he's known the two of them longer than anyone else of us have ever known Ash. I don't want to interfere with a conversation between three childhood friends, after all." Misty said, as she perked up once she heard an odd, chuckling tone as Iris heard an unfamiliar voice enter her range of hearing.

Looking over Misty's shoulder as Misty was watching as two, sharp dressed men far older than the two of them were walking in the streets, alongside an equally sharp dressed lady, were approaching Misty as the three of them took off their shades to have a look at her.

"Misty? Long time no see it seems. Blue Oak, in case you forgot." Blue introduced himself, as the man dressed in red beside them was silent.

"…" The man didn't have much in the way of words, all the while the lady in green chuckled.

"Relax, Red, you'll do fine in the Unova League, just like you did back in Kanto." The woman introduced the man as Red, as she looked over towards the confused Iris. "The name's Green, by the way." Green introduced herself, as Blue chuckled a bit, all the while Iris nervously chuckled.

"Yes, uh… mind I ask why you three are taking part in the Pokémon League?" Iris asked, before adding "It's not often we get people from other regions taking part in our local Pokémon League after all." Iris said, as Blue simply chuckled.

"Oh, are you kidding? The moment I saw the news featuring a kid with aura abilities taking part of the gym challenges, I couldn't help but decide to drag Red and Green here with me to challenge the league. Even Red here wanted to challenge the league as well for old time's sake." Blue spoke up, as Red nodded.

"…!" Red gave a bit of a narrowed gaze to Blue, all the while Green chuckled as she noticed Misty's glare towards Blue. Blue, meanwhile, had his egotistical exterior shatter as he quickly became nervous all of a sudden.

"… Your mother still resents me for what I did all those years ago doesn't she?" Blue asked Misty, as Misty nodded.

"She took those thoughts of you all the way to the grave, after all." Misty spoke up, as Iris gasped as Blue's expression worsened and sunk in mood as Red and Green looked shocked.

"W-We're sorry for your lose…" Blue and Green both spoke, as they looked over towards Red, as if expecting him to say something.

"I'm sorry." Red spoke up; his voice sounded rather dry, lacking any sort of emotion, but he sounded youthful for a man who appeared to be in his late 20s. In terms of how he sounded, his tone suggested he had seen many horrible things due to how his emotions were either restrained or bottled up in some way or form, as if something on the back of his mind had to force himself to speak.

"It's alright, Red, you don't have to force yourself to speak." Misty told the older male, as Blue and Green nodded.

"Yeah, Red, just take a few deep breaths and relax, alright?" Blue told Red, as Red sighed a bit quietly. Green perked up once she noticed Iris behind Misty, having just been staring the whole time with no context of who she, Blue, or Red even were.

"I'm sorry, am I intruding on anything?" Iris asked, as Blue chuckled a bit.

"Nah, it's us who were intruding. Sorry about that, we'll be on our way now." Blue spoke up, as Red already moved to walk away, as Blue and Green walked away together, as Misty recollected her thoughts as she looked back to face Iris.

"It looks like we'll have company in the Pokémon League aside from who you know already." Misty said with a warm smile, as she looked at Iris with a gleam in her eyes.

"Are you willing to listen to an idea I have in mind for a surprise for Cheren and Bianca?" Misty asked, as she chuckled a bit to herself, as Iris' eyes widened a little as to what she was getting at.

"You're… You're not thinking of actually having them become…" Iris was unable to finish the sentence, as Misty gave her a very sly nod to reassure her. As Iris nearly fell faint onto the ground, Misty caught her in her arms as the Water Type Gym Leader held up the Dragon Type Gym Leader with an air of grace to her. Iris flushed completely red with seeing how graceful Misty was being more than she had to be, but was quickly sent into a passed out slumber upon Misty kissing her full on the lips to keep her from saying anything further.

With Misty and Iris having time to themselves, Ash was standing at the entrance of Route 10, with Cheren and Bianca standing beside him.

"So, we're going to do this together?" Ash asked his two childhood friends. Ash was getting déjà vu to when he, Cheren, and Bianca had first entered Route 1 for the first time. Cheren and Bianca, nodding to Ash, quietly readied themselves to make the first step into Route 10.

"One, two, three!" The three of them spoke in unison, as they calmly and casually took their shared first steps into Route 10 together, as they each had a look around the area in quiet unison. Route 10 looked like the edge of a forest that was giving way to a more rocky environment up further ahead. Small rivers carved through the mountains, and bridges and a singular path connected this route to Opelucid City and the upcoming Victory Road.

"So, I know I do tend to try and not to force you two to things if you don't want to, but I feel like asking something." Ash spoke up, as Cheren and Bianca nodded.

"We're going to go through Victory Road just like you, Ash." Cheren and Bianca both told Ash, as Ash looked at him with a nod.

"I was hoping you two would say that." Ash said with a cheerful grin, all the while the three shared a group hug together, as they looked upon the path ahead, and all together, walked towards the ultimate challenge for any trainer in Unova; the famed Victory Road.

To many who say conquering the Pokémon League is a challenge in and of itself, Victory Road will not be an easy challenge at the same time. Ash, Cheren, and Bianca walked through the path on Route 10, as soon joining their side, Alain, Hilda, and Hilbert soon made themselves visible. All the same, Misty and Iris had caught up with Ash, Cheren, and Bianca and joined the three. Just before they approached the giant gateway into Victory Road itself, Billie, Giselle, the three younger children, and some unknown trainers to the group had joined them at the gate.

Alder was there looking upon everyone who was about to make the trek through Victory Road.

"I'm amazed that you all have gathered here today, all for a single purpose and a shared goal. All of you want to become the Pokémon Champion, but all of you also know that only one of you will ultimately win the title in the end." Alder started, as entering the scene was Martin and Nanu arriving late compared to the others.

"You sure you want to participate in this and blow your cover so easily?" Nanu asked Martin, as Martin cracked his muscles around.

"Don't sweat it; I know if UB Fog and Templar think they might try and hide, I'll give them a show in case all else fails." Martin told Nanu, as Nanu shrugged, as he watched as Alder was continuing his speech.

"Victory Road is a long walk towards the Pokémon League, and in the area are dangerous Pokémon more so than any you may have encountered in the wild so far. It is advised that everyone travels in small groups with each other, and that all should try and help each other out to reach the plateau where the Pokémon League awaits." Alder finished, as he pointed out someone in the crowd, to which Ash's hair stood up on the back of his head an instant upon sensing something off.

"N, would you care to be Ash's traveling partner through Victory Road?" Alder asked, to which N made his presence known through the crowd as he had stepped forward, with a bit of a cocky smirk to himself that Ash would've thought was uncharacteristic of him, but at this rate, N was a wild card more so than anyone else now.

"I will gladly take upon the honor of being the escort of the Aura Guardian to be, Alder."

**To Be Continued.**


	75. Chapter 74: Victory Road! Totem Durant!

Ash has plans for this last trek through Unova before the main event of his journey; having to do it in the company of N, due to what he had made himself known as now, was no longer one of them.

"So, Ash, as one of the very few Aura Guardians to still reside from Unova, would it be a valiant gesture towards a representative of Team Plasma to show him the way through the Pokémon League to assure him that perhaps he needs to see the world from a different perspective? That not all Pokémon Trainers are whom Team Plasma refers to as people who use Pokémon with only themselves in mind?" Alder asked, all the while the crowd of trainers rather angrily looked towards N with a nasty, foul glare radiating from all of them.

"Smug son of a Houndoom I you ask me." Billie said as she slowly approached N, only to be held back by Alain and Hilda.

"Relax, can't we all share a piece of the carnage?" Hilda asked, as Alain nodded.

"Honestly guys as much as I have a feeling Ash is going to protest, if he so much as has the right to, so do we." Alain said, as Hilbert slapped his face and let out an exasperated groan.

"Dude, Alain, shut the hell up… Ash has enough on his plate as it seems and I don't think that even N would want to-"

"Sure, I'll travel with Ash through Victory Road." N spoke up, interrupting Hilbert in the process. Hilbert suddenly gawked in N's direction, with an obscured trainer hidden in a white robe and an older man in a flannel jacket with shades suddenly turning to face Hilbert.

"Any more brilliant ideas, jackass?" The man spoke, as the cloaked figure chose to face back towards Alder in silence. Ash's senses perked up with the feminine, older figure in the cloak; they seemed awfully familiar…

"Now, now, everyone, no need for violent language I assure you." Alder spoke up in a subdued, jolly tone, as he looked over towards the man with interest. "Grandis, is that you?" Alder asked, noting the way the man looked with his jacket as the man raised an eye.

"Who?" The man asked as his eye twitched a little bit; Alder was not amused to say the least.

"Grandis…" Alder spoke up, his tone not very fond of the rather blatant lying the man was trying to get away with. Cheren just eyed Alder with confusion, though he seemed a lot more peeved by Alder's choice of decisions so far.

"Can we move on, please?" The man asked, as Alder sighed.

"Sometimes you need to learn patience, Grandis." Alder spoke, before looking towards the crowd again as the giant, iron gates leading into Victory Road were slowly beginning to open; the loud, powerful creaking of the semi-rusted gates audible as the gates fully opened and revealed the first path into Victory Road.

"Now then, before any of you go and traverse through Victory Road, you will be tasked with seeking out a special Gigalith that lives in the cavernous parts of Victory Road; simply taking a piece of its crystalline body is all you need as proof that you have went through Victory Road. Is that understood?" Alder explained, as N looked at Alder with a narrowed gaze.

"Kind of harmful to Gigalith to take a piece of it with us, isn't it?" N asked, as Ash rolled his eyes.

'Of course he'd say that…'

"Rest assured, N, Gigalith will not feel any pain regarding a small piece of its crystals being taken. In fact, it constantly sheds them as a whole anyways." Alder told N. Before N had a chance to say anything, however, Alder raised his arms out to his sides as he raised them high and spread.

"Now then, with that out of the way, welcome Pokémon Trainers, to your final test; Victory Road!" Alder spoke up, as everyone looked at each other with each of them grabbing a Poké Ball from their belt. Ash had Raichu's Poké Ball on standby, with N focusing on Zoroark's Poké Ball.

As everyone took their first steps through the gate, Ash and N both had a glance at each other; neither of the two seemed happy for differing reasons. Cheren and Bianca gazed at each other; both of them moving to grab each other's hand as they began their walk into Victory Road. Hilbert, Hilda, and Alain all took their walk together, as did Billie and Giselle. The three kids with their Alola Starter Pokémon all were escorted by the cloaked figure and whom was allegedly Grandis during the walk into Victory Road.

Arriving late were Red, Blue, and Misty, who were taking the walk into the league on their own. Just before Alder turned to walk in as well, one last trainer appeared to walk in as well. Their presence, much like the white cloaked woman, appeared to have a gray colored cloak around her feminine figure. Alder didn't pay the woman too much mind though, although he chose to make the walk with her, noting her elderly figure beneath her cloak and being kind enough to walk her through the dangerous Victory Road.

Upon entering the Victory Road proper, the trail after the large gate investigated each traveler at key points, asking them about specific badges they had. Bianca and Cheren, though, were stopped once Bianca was asked about the Jet Badge, a guard had stopped to take them to the side to talk with them.

"We've gotten word from Iris; you can choose to take the civilian path if you want, but the moment you decide to take the harder path, you'll be forced to stick to it. Are you sure you two wish to proceed?" The guard asked Bianca and Cheren, as the two of them gave each other a reassuring nod, before looking at the guard and nodding in confirmation.

"Alright then, proceed." The guard said, as she stepped to the side as Bianca and Cheren passed; Cheren's eyes took notice of the shady figures following from behind; the alleged Grandis, the white figure, as well as the gray figure. He didn't recognize either of the three, since everyone else here so far was at least someone he could recognize.

Upon entering Victory Road itself, the dangerousness that was warned did not warn enough of the landscape or the native Pokémon. Ash and N, taking their first steps in, both had their eyes widen upon seeing the incredibly steep cliffs they would have to navigate, as well as the numerous, numerous entrances and exits into the cavernous maze itself. The native Pokémon, as Bianca's Pokédex scanned them, appeared to heavily consist of a Bug and Steel Type Pokémon known as "Durant", which based on the numerous upon numerous of individuals in the area so far, appeared to dominate the ecosystem.

As N looked around and was startled by the cry of an Durant calling for help, Ash's aura flared up as the two of them turned and faced a significantly larger, round Pokémon with a thin head and mouth with a flaming hot tongue, which Ash's Pokédex identified as "Heatmor", and appeared to actively be going out of its way to invade a nest of Durant; using its searing hot tongue to incinerate the armor of the Bug Pokémon to consume them within a single lash of its lengthy tongue.

All of that was to change, however, when a loud, angered roar of an insectoid Pokémon was suddenly heard; Durant's eyes, normally red in color, suddenly turned pitch black as individuals on the sight turned and faced Heatmor, with numerous individuals emerging from the caverns all at once; within a sudden movement, they all dug underground and the ground beneath Heatmor shook with immense force, before the large, Anteater Pokémon was suddenly and forcefully dragged into the ground below as the very earth around it proceeded to bury the Fire Type Pokémon alive in the ground below.

Suddenly Ash's aura signaled to him that something was approaching, and Ash looked ahead into the cavern as he rushed on ahead inside. N, noticing Ash suddenly bolting, groaned a bit as he followed Ash in hot pursuit. As the duo entered the caverns and noticed the many, many seemingly possessed Durant in the cave, N looked worried as to their sudden, hostile behavior.

"N, stay back, I'll handle this." Ash told N, as he calmly took out several Quick Balls as he locked his sights onto at least 6 Durant heading his way in hot pursuit. As Ash moved with his aura showing afterimages of his movements, he was able to launch 6 Quick Balls at once at the Durant in a blinding speed; as the impact hit, the Quick Balls shook thrice, and then a single, solidified click was heard as the Quick Balls were suddenly transported to Ash's VR Ranch for storage.

A louder, insectoid roar could be heard again, as Ash and N saw 12 more Durant emerge to confront the duo. N was about to move for Zoroark's Poké Ball, but Ash gestured for him not to move; at the same time, Ash made three movements in which he hurled 4 Quick Balls in three separate movements of his hands, and impacting with the 12 Durant as the shaking occurred thrice yet again, alongside a single click once more.

As the insectoid roar became much more prevalent, Ash and N were witnessing 17 Durant suddenly stir and awaken; Ash didn't waste time with these ones, as Ash didn't give N a chance to speak before hurling Quick Balls with immense speed at the Durant, and quickly catching the 17 like he did the two prior waves. Like with the first, the second and third waves of caught Pokémon were transferred to Ash's VR Ranch for storage again, as suddenly the ground shook with an immense force as a very, very large crack in the ground suddenly shook the entire cavern.

Emerging from the ground appeared to be a very, very big Durant; normally Durant was colored steel gray, but this particular one had a rusted brown appearance and green eyes instead of red. Not only that, but its abdomen appeared significantly larger than the others that showed themselves. As the "Queen" Durant showed itself towards Ash and N, it suddenly let out a hellish roar towards the duo as N's eyes widened with fright as to what he was seeing, which prompted him to send out Zoroark to respond to the situation.

Ash called upon Raichu as per expected, but something was wrong with this particular Durant; suddenly taking in energy and exploding with a field of aura, the Shiny Durant suddenly exploded to life a powerful Aura unlike anything Ash had seen prior in his journey. As Raichu braced itself for an intense battle, Zoroark looked towards N with a glare as Durant suddenly charged Zoroark head-on and knocked him out into a wall without much effort.

As Raichu was gestured by Ash with a movement of his arms as his body absorbed aura and exploded with the raw energy, Raichu suddenly glided up into the air as it stabilized itself as it took aim on the massive Durant before him.

"NOW!" Ash called, as he pointed towards Durant once its back was turned, as Raichu suddenly flew down and collided with Durant's abdomen as it suddenly let loose an immense, electrical surge as Raichu flew off from the opposite side of the point of collision. At this point, Durant's movements slowed immensely due to static causing it to have its joints lock up as it still seemed to have energy to try and fight.

Suddenly letting loose an ungodly howl, it summoned forth a Pokémon seemingly from thin air, in the form of a Haxorus appearing alongside it as, as Zoroark moved to get up and launch himself at the imposing Haxorus.

"Ash, focus on the queen, get her to calm down!" N said as he kept his focus on the much more dangerous Haxorus she had summoned, as Ash nodded.

"Alright! Dusk Ball, GO!" Ash spoke as he grabbed a Dusk Ball from his pocket and hurled it at the queen Durant and suddenly dragged its form into the Dusk Ball, as it stopped on the ground just as Zoroark's arms glowed an immense, red aura, and manifested a giant explosion against Haxorus to knock it out.

One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*

As if the moment had happened too quickly, Ash had secured the queen Durant in a Dusk Ball and had it sent to the VR Ranch as he walked over towards Zoroark as his hands looked bruised from using so much force to use against the manifest Haxorus. "Zoroark, hold your arms out, please." Ash spoke, as Zoroark was reluctant to do so, but sighed as he did so anyways, all the while Ash drew out a potion and sprayed medical mist on Zoroark's injured arms as the spray was quickly beginning to heal his injuries entirely.

As N called back Zoroark after Ash was done, N had his gaze narrowed as he looked upon Ash. "A valiant effort, but it won't matter." N said rather coldly, before proceeding to walk away towards the higher floors of Victory Road. Ash groaned a bit as he watched N leave and quickly moved to follow him after calling back Raichu.

"Don't be like that, N, you know I'm a good person more than anyone from Team Plasma ever does!" Ash told N, his voice relatively calm all things considered, but N chose to ignore him and simply proceeded up a flight of clay forged stairs that lead up and higher into the path, as N looked back at Ash.

"I can hear the others quickly making their way above, we should hurry and join them." N said in a rather monotone voice, as he quickly turned away to walk up the flight of stairs as Ash growled a bit as he walked up towards N.

"What had gotten into you at Dragonspiral Tower, anyways?!" Ash asked N, to which Ash suddenly found himself slammed and pinned into the nearest wall of the path as N glared right into Ash's eyes.

"What had gotten into YOU thinking you could just try and take Vahirom as your prize?! You honestly think that Vahirom would've obeyed only you after what you intended to do with it?!" N called out Ash, as Ash rolled his eyes.

"Kind of a glass house you live in, isn't it?" Ash remarked, but N shrugged it off.

"It doesn't matter; if you're going to interfere with Team Plasma any further, I will be sure to deal with you myself when my time to shine has come at long last." N said, as he unpinned Ash and continued up the path of stairs, towards the blinding light of the sun coming down through the cavern exit further ahead.

"To liberate Pokémon from human influence has been my dream, Ash; do you think I would give it up so easily once I realized the truth to everything that has led up to this point?" N asked Ash as Ash moved to follow N while giving a bit of a glare to him.

"You're making this rivalry out to be bigger than it actually is, N; you're not someone I'd call a rival, you're still my friend even after what you did; isn't that what you wanted after all this time? To be my friend?" Ash asked, as N suddenly froze in place as his eyes widened as he let those words sink in.

Ash? His friend? That's exactly what N had wanted from day one, but at the same time, something felt missing in N's mind as he tried to process his current conflict with Ash; Ash now views N as a friend, but something doesn't feel truly right. Unison between Reshiram and Zekrom was accomplished, true, but N couldn't help but feel his mind felt empty and hollow upon Ash's question.

"…" N was silent as he tried to figure out how to answer; already he decided to just ignore the question as he suddenly ran up the flight of stairs, as Ash could see very faint, particles of water drip pass N as Ash could see N was trying, but failing, to hide tears from him. Ash stood there for a moment as he was approached by Cheren and Bianca from behind. Misty and Iris were with them as well, but Cheren and Bianca looked more concerned due to having known N as long as Ash did.

"Ash? What were you and N talking about?" Cheren asked out of concern for his best friend, all the while Ash was silent as he tried to figure out what to say.

"… He's very troubled… he's giving me an odd case of déjà vu if anything, but from what I can determine from the way he speaks… whatever it is that is truly haunting N to make him the kind of person he is." Ash said as he paused and continued to walk up the stairs, as did his friends and two lovers as they moved to exit the cavern and looked up towards the incredibly large, massive, castle-like entrance to a large stadium up ahead; the Pokémon League, in all of its ancient and proud tradition and glory, was just mere steps away from the group right now.

"N… I can't help but feel you need help; perhaps it isn't Pokémon and humans that need liberating from each other; perhaps you need liberation from your own sheltered world you might be living in. That is what I'll need to show you; that you need truth and ideals to shape the world and your lifestyle to surviv, adapt, and live a happy and prosperous life as a Pokémon Trainer."

**To Be Continued.**


	76. Chapter 75: Elite Four! Marshall!

The Pokémon League; the final frontier in a Pokémon Trainer's journey, as Ash, Cheren, and Bianca, among many other trainers, were walking out into the stadium at the center of the colosseum, as an absolutely massive crowd of civilians and even other trainers cheered on as they were being introduced to the challengers.

"Introducing the challengers to this year's Pokémon League! You've heard his name before, you're curious as to who he is and why he's here, but now he's here to prove himself as a competent trainer! Introducing Ash Ketchum of Nuvema Town!" The announcer spoke, as the announcer's voice sounded familiar as she appeared to be the same one from the Nimbasa City Gym Battle. Ash stood as he waved to the crowd with a calm, yet cheerful gaze towards everyone.

"Up next, we have two young lovers who are here to take part in a special trial; while entering the league like everyone else, they are here for a different agenda entirely! Introducing Cheren and Bianca of Nuvema Town!" The announcer introduced the duo, as Cheren and Bianca waved to the crowd in response as cheers were heard across the arena.

"Coming from Icirrus City, these two have had to endure many troubles from old fashioned parents, but love triumphs in places even with these two! Introducing Billie and Giselle!" Next up introduced were Billie and Giselle, as the two of them waved to the audience as the cheers were equally loud and excited with these two. In the crowd, Billie could see her parents and Meowth in disguises trying to watch the spectacle about to happen.

"Three mysterious trainers from Lacunosa Town, the town of many mysteries brings to light three trainers of unknown origins and capabilities. Introducing Alain, Hilbert, and Hilda!" The announcer introduced, as Alain, Hilbert, and Hilda instead gave various salutes to the crowd instead of waving, all the while the crowd cheered for these three just the same.

"Hailing from Kanto, we have three special guests in this challenge! Overlooked by the Gym Leader of Cerulean City, we have Red, Blue, and Misty!" The announcer spoke as Red silently tipped his hat to the crowd, all the while Blue raised both of his hands all the while relishing in the crowd's cheers. Misty quietly waved nevertheless.

"Coming from the isolated region of Alola, are three young children who have come so far after trying so hard to defy the odds! Introducing Liam, Trixie, and Selene!" The announcer spoke, as the three kids with Primarina, a large, bipedal tiger called Incineroar, and a tall standing owl called Decidueye, stood alongside their trainers, Liam, Trixie, and Selene respectively, as they gave an unusual greeting with both of their hands towards the crowd as the crowd was cheering even more now.

"And lastly, we have four trainers of origins unknown! They need no introduction, as their mystery will make themselves known very soon! Everyone, here we have Tera, Delia, N, and special guest Ultimorian Deity Grandis!" The announcer spoke up, as the cheers intensified even more as Ash's aura caused him to hone his sights in on the trainer with his mother's name; looking upon the trainer in the white robe, he saw her ditch the white robe as underneath did indeed reveal to be none other than his own mom.

Martin, meanwhile, didn't exactly seem thrilled with the fact his other name was spoken so casually, as N gave Martin a rather unusual stare.

"What are you looking at, N? You're here for even weirder intents as it is!" Martin told off N, as N rolled his eyes.

"Some deity you are." N spoke up towards Martin.

"Implying I even wanted the job to begin with." Martin responded back.

In the crowd, meanwhile, Nanu, Raiga, Regulus, and Mewtwo were lurking behind everyone else in the furthest of the back rows of the seats.

"Now then, as everyone knows, the rules are simple; every trainer will be pit against each other in a one on one matchup in a full battle ruleset. Every trainer will be split off into groups of four, paired against each other with the two winners of each fight having to face a member of the Elite Four. Grandis, since he's a special guest in this tournament, is the semi-final opponent in the league, just before Alder himself; whoever can defeat Alder himself will be declared the Pokémon Champion of Unova. Good luck everyone, and let victory guide you to your dreams!"

_**Round 1: Billie VS Alain** _

"NIdoking, you're up!" Billie called out, as out from a Poké Ball appeared a large, dinosaurian rabbit monster of sorts with a bright purple color and numerous horns across its body, as it let out a powerful, screeching roar.

"Bisharp, time to shine!" Alain called, appearing from its Poké Ball was a black, silver, and red colored Pokémon whose body was made of incredibly sharp metal, with arms hiding extendable blades.

"Pokémon, GO!" The announcer called, as Nidoking slammed both of its arms into the ground as it suddenly summoned up raw, earthly energy from the ground of the arena, all the while Bisharp rushed forward on its two legs as it rushed forward with its arms folded in a cross, before suddenly appearing right in Nidoking's face and hacking with a diagonal cut with each arm in a cross against Nidoking's head, causing the Drill Pokémon to recoil from the attack instantly as Nidoking was knocked out, and quickly called back by Billie.

"Salazzle, you're next!" Billie called, as from another of her Poké Balls emerged a rather slender, sleek, narrowed eyed reptilian Pokémon with a feminine figure and a gleam in her eyes towards Bisharp as she let out a sharp, piercing chuckling-like noise, all the while Billie performed an odd gesture with her hands as Salazzle suddenly exploded with an immense power, before from her mouth foamed an immense amount of flames towards Bisharp.

Alain was quick to call back Bisharp in the heat of this, as out next he sent out a large, robust Pokémon known as Tyranitar to tank the hit with. With Salazzle firing off the infernal projectile with immense force, Tyranitar took the hit only for the sheer overwhelming aura driven by the heat to end up causing Tyranitar to recoil heavily from the attack.

However, Tyranitar was not down yet, as Tyranitar manifested giant, rocky spires from the ground which took out Salazzle in a single shot as they impaled across her body and scaly hide. Billie called back Salazzle, as out next she sent out Venusaur as her next Pokémon as she swapped out a specific crystalline object on a bracer on her left arm as she tapped it, just as the Key Stone made itself known as Venusaur began to glow with a crystalline energy, before exploding out into its larger, flower covered and lush Mega Venusaur form.

Summoning massive, giant thorny vines to crash into Tyranitar, Tyranitar was knocked out as Alain was quick to resend out Bisharp next. However, to Bisharp's surprise, a powerful, tremendous shake of its large body caused the ground to shake with an immense force, and just as quickly as Bisharp was sent out, Bisharp was critically damaged by the earthquake that it fell to the ground down and out. As Bisharp was called back, Metagross was sent out as it tanked another earthquake attack from Mega Venusaur, before Metagross promptly tucked in its legs and charged forward and slammed itself into Mega Venusaur and knocked it out cold in one foul swoop.

Billie growled as to how insanely fast everything had went by, as Alain was panting as he tried to regain his breath from how quickly this fight was already halfway over.

However, the battle was far from won in Alain's case; Billie sent out her next Pokémon, in the form of the towering Arbok she had since day one; however, as Arbok determined the fight ahead to be a big threat beyond its own control, it suddenly charged up an immense aura, before its own presence flared to life with a powerful aura, as Metagross was stunned when by one foul swoop of Arbok's tail, Metagross was knocked out just as quickly as that.

"Ugh! Unfezant!" Alain called out as he sent out a male Unfezant just as quickly as he withdrew Metagross. Arbok, curling up into a calmed state, suddenly uncurled as it lunged at Unfezant with a powerful grasp of its jaws, before knocking out the bird Pokémon with ease. "Weavile, let's see if we still got this one!" Alain called with desperation as he called back Unfezant, only to send out Weavile next only to be immediately greeted with a powerful burst of flames that knocked out Weavile just as quickly as Arbok had gotten done uncurling itself in-between switching Pokémon on Alain's end.

"Oh, wow, this looks to be an unfair matchup it seems. Does Alain have any Pokémon that can withstand a Totem Arbok?" The announcer asked, as Alain growled a bit as he hastily called out Charizard and was quick to tap the Key Stone on his wrist to try and Mega Evolve Charizard. Billie's Arbok, however, quickly wrapped around Charizard with its immense length as it suddenly constricted Charizard in the process of Mega Evolving, as it suddenly had the energy exploded against Charizard as Arbok itself was knocked out in the process.

With Charizard falling out unconscious next mere seconds afterwards, Alain was out of usable Pokémon to continue the fight.

"Alain is out of usable Pokémon; the winner is Billie!" The announcer spoke, as the crowd cheered Billie's name as she walked out to the arena after having called back Arbok, as she quickly healed up Alain's Charizard.

"You did a good job, Alain." Billie complimented on Alain's performance, as Alain blinked as he walked up to her.

"I beg your pardon? You completely thrashed my whole team!" Alain remarked, as Billie looked at Alain with a serious gaze before chuckling.

"I've encountered many men who couldn't withstand the pressure of my Arbok right off of the bat; I'm honestly surprised your Pokémon lasted as long as they did, so it appears you're actually training them with proper care and attention." Billie said to Alain, as Alain shyly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well, it's no big deal, really; that's what I always try and do at minimum with training them." Alain said, as Billie slyly chuckled a bit as Charizard was now back on his feet and looking upon the two trainers moving to take their place at the arena, as Billie and Alain both gave each other a salute before walking off of the arena.

In the lounge of the Pokémon League, Billie and Alain were both walking out all the while a large, mechanical head moved to grab Alain and drag him off without anybody noticing; Alain struggled while being grabbed out of nowhere, as everything around him turned dark.

"Whoa! Hey! What's going on?!" Alain called out, as he soon found himself face to face with Regulus, with Mewtwo towering over Alain from behind, just as Nanu turned on a dim flashlight with a bored expression as Alain shrieked at Nanu all the while, with Raiga just barely fitting into the small room with her massive from as Nanu shushed Alain for him to be quiet.

"Alain." Nanu spoke, as Alain continued to simply shriek in response to where he was all of a sudden.

"Oh just SHUT UP!" Raiga shouted at Alain as she unsheathed her sword from her left arm and buried it into the floor, shaking the whole room all the while having Mewtwo and Regulus both looking unnerved.

"So what's going on then?" Alain said after a long pause of silence, as Nanu pointed out of the room towards Ash, and then back to himself.

"First, you're probably going to be one of the many trainers here we'll be giving this talk to, so I'm going to keep this short and simple and have you all gathered here to watch from this booth for what is about to unfold later, alright?" Nanu asked of Alain, all the while Alain looked around and had a good look at all of the documents lying around.

"UB-TEMPLAR. A knightly Ultra Beast which while at first goes to great lengths to protect something, goes far beyond its original goals even against the will of whatever it guards. Taking the form of multiple pieces of armor designed for Pokémon from old times, Templar has often been spotted in various castles."

"UB-FOG. A spectral Ultra Beast that appears to be an amalgamation of various gassy substances which tear apart the fabric of space and time and causes entities and life-forms made up of very similar substances as it to appear under its command. So far an identified life-form is known as a "Grimm", from which UB-FOG will sometimes even transform into one if it doesn't take the form of anything else first."

As Alain kept reading, however, he noted a third document which Nanu moved to hide from him in response to him trying to look at it.

"You'd rather not know what lies on that document until shit begins to hit the fan; just do me a favor and keep watch as to anything that may appear for the duration of this Pokémon League, alright? I warn you though, do not go raising any alarms by freely telling anyone this; understood?" Nanu asked, as Alain nodded.

"Understood, sir." Alain said, as he moved to leave, but Mewtwo telekinetically stopped him.

"Before you go, this info isn't allowed outside this small room just yet, so I'll be taking this." Mewtwo said as it casually took the memories of Alain's encounter with the group from Alain's mind, as well as any information he may have learned inside the small box. As Alain looked back at the door where he originally walked back inside from, he noticed the door he had been dragged through was no longer there, leading to a lot of confused looks from Hilbert, Hilda, and Billie.

"Is something wrong, Alain?" Hilda asked, as Hilbert shot a glare of jealousy towards Alain as Hilda playfully elbowed Hilbert to calm him down. Alain, meanwhile, just nervously laughed a bit.

"I guess I ended up zoning out for a bit, that's all." Alain said, as the TV in the lounge now showed a surprise meeting with a new trainer present; he appeared to be a very tall, very robust man with dark skin, and seemingly wearing battle armor on his attire; even his teeth had protective covering on them to how insanely armored he was.

"Liam's last Pokémon is unable to battle; Giselle is victorious and shall proceed with Billie to battle Marshall of the Elite Four!"

"Looks like me and Giselle are up next." Billie said as she cracked her knuckles a bit as she walked back out towards the arena. Alain simply gawked as to Billie's casual disregard for how quickly his own match as well as Liam's match went; he had seen Liam's team, and yet he was beaten so easily by Giselle, whom he only known as was very weak. Was he out of the loop at this rate? He did underestimate Billie for that matter as well.

"After all, Alain, why do you think Billie and Giselle are both facing Marshall?" Martin suddenly spoke up as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere when nobody was facing him. Alain looked startled as to how quickly he had shown himself so suddenly.

"What is it you want to know?" Alain asked as his eyes narrowed towards Martin.

"Me? Want something to know? Bitch please; I know everything, but I'm not going to spoil how this league will end just yet." Martin said rather casually, as he looked towards the TV monitor as to see Billie and Giselle gathering at the arena with Marshall on the opposite end of the ring.

"Now then, let's make this quick; you two will be sending out 1 Pokémon each; I will be sending out two of my own; that is how the Elite Four will be battling each and every one who makes it past the first round. Is that clear?" Marshall asked as he grabbed two Poké Balls off of his belt as he hurled them out to the arena. Two Fighting Type Pokémon appeared in the form of Conkeldurr and Machamp. Billie and Giselle didn't waste time with sending out Arbok and Kommo-o respectively.

Arbok exploded to life with its aura causing it to radiate with energy, all the while Marshall's Conkeldurr proceeded to do the same with its own inherent aura. Billie, simply giving a suggestive aside glance to Giselle, simply chuckled a bit as to Giselle proceeding to make a gesture with her hands and expression; an odd device on her left wrist glowing with energy as Kommo-o suddenly radiated with an intense energy, before it suddenly began to move to shake its body and tail around.

Kommo-o was an odd Dragon Type Pokémon to say the least; it had the armoring of a pangolin, and the way the scales hung off of its body seemed to give off the vibe of dreadlocks; as Kommo-o waved its body around in a rhythmic movement, its scales clanged against each other as they produced an echoing, serene sound of exotic instruments. Suddenly jumping up into the air, Kommo-o proceeded to unleash a powerful shockwave in the arena, as Machamp and Conkeldurr were knocked out of the ring with the immense force of draconic energy surging in their direction.

"Well… Ring out! And without Billie even having to move in this matter! What will Marshall say to this?" the announcer spoke, as everyone's attention was now focused on Marshall, as the dark skinned man closed his eyes to think, before they suddenly snapped open to look at Giselle directly.

"You; you will pass forth into Round 2. Congratulations, Giselle!"

**To Be Continued.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So the next several chapters are going to be unusual in nature. Normally I try and aim for a 3K word count at minimum with my chapters, but to do so with the next chapters, it's going to more or less abridge the whole Pokémon League arc more than what you see here. It's not that I don't want to have full fights at all, it's just the fact tournament arcs drag on for far too long much of the time, so I'm going to keep this specific tournament arc short and to the point. Sound fair? If so, be prepared as to when a certain event directly lifted from Black and White take place not long from now...


	77. Chapter 76: Elite Four! Shauntal!

**Round 1: Hilbert VS Trixie**

Hilbert stepped up to the ring as he could hear the crowd cheering him on; he didn't deserve this, he thought. At least, not just yet. Hilbert stood at his side of the ring as he called out a Pokémon familiar to all in the form of an Emboar, as Emboar snorted with fumes of flames from its nostrils.

Trixie was oddly emotionless as she walked up to her side of the arena, all the while she looked towards the audience, as she proceeded to send out her own first Pokémon in the form of Incineroar. After suddenly stomping her foot into the ground as she had grabbed a megaphone from her bag, the announcer and Alder were taken off guard when Trixie suddenly began to speak at a loud volume.

"Trainers and civilians of Unova; we are here at a glorious time in our lives, but don't you think this Pokémon League is poorly timed? How much many of us want to head home for the end of the year holidays? That is what I dreamed of doing; me and my friends have been begging to be home with our parents, but our parents refused to listen to us." Trixie began to speak, as Hilbert was listening to every word she was saying.

 _(Looks like she's trying to persuade Alder with something…)_  Regulus could be heard speaking through his aura; Hilbert heard it loud and clear, however, as he looked around for the source of the voice.

"As a result, we're below the average age of any trainer who wants to be here; we want to go home and be with our relatives, not be forced into a giant tournament which is only going to delay the inevitable." Trixie continued to speak, all the while Incineroar was beginning to give gestures and mouth movement as if it was speaking in Trixie's place with the lip sync and movement it was copying.

"With that said, I ask of you, trainers and civilians of Unova; could we please ask for the remaining battles from this point out to be reduced to 3 Pokémon per trainer? After all; you didn't even get to see half of Billie's and Giselle's teams, and you're certainly not going to see anywhere near half of Selene's team either. So I ask; why bother with a 6v6 format if so many of the fights so far are completely one sided?" Trixie asked, as suddenly the audience was quiet as they took into account Trixie's words and bold behavior of being so young and having the audacity to ask the crowd and Alder this plea.

Soon enough, everyone began to cheer on Trixie and her Incineroar, with Incineroar and Trixie in sync as they posed and held their hands up for all of the cheers to intensify in their favor. Nanu, watching from the sides, looked over towards Mewtwo with a questioning gaze.

"You didn't hypnotize anybody else, did you?" Nanu asked, as Mewtwo shook its head no.

"No; the girl is speaking her own heart out on her own." Mewtwo spoke, as it saw as the crowd looked like they were wanting blood to be spilt. Alder didn't bat an eye at this, but he continued to listen, as did N from the sidelines.

"Are you going to let their cries go unheard?" N asked Alder as he stood in the same room as the Champion of Unova.

"I don't know what it is you're wanting me to do, N…"

"Now then, with that said." Trixie said, as she looked at Giselle with her expression suddenly turning hostile. "Welcome to the Pokémon League." She said as the bells to signal the match beginning rang, as Emboar and Incineroar suddenly roared and rushed at each other at a blinding speed with flames in their soles as they moved in to attack each other.

Emboar, moving to try and make the first punch with its massively built arms, was tricked into a false sense of security as Incineroar sidestepped, only to use both of its arms to grasp at Emboar's arm just barely grazing the right of Incineroar's cheek. The Heel Pokémon suddenly moved to lift Emboar into the air, taking the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon by surprise as Incineroar promptly threw it out of the arena.

Out next as Hilbert called back Emboar was Gigalith, as Hilbert gestured with his hand forward as Gigalith summoned many, sharp pointed stones from the ground as they crashed into Incineroar all at once; Incineroar, however, simply chucked each of them aside from the immense strength of its limbs as it picked them up and launched them back into Gigalith, as Gigalith took the full blunt of its own attack due to its non-agile form preventing it from actively attempting to dodge.

Gigalith, however, took the blow with grace as it suddenly roared out towards Incineroar with fury; all the while Incineroar snarled right back as suddenly its giant hands glowed a dark surge of energy as Incineroar propelled itself forward on its heels as it spun around like a tornado with both arms out and hands spread as Incineroar rapidly clawed away at Gigalith like a spinning top.

Gigalith, quickly realizing it was hopelessly outmatched, grabbed a hold of Incineroar in place with rocky spires as it simply silently glared at the Heel Pokémon viciously. With its crystals and rocky form suddenly beginning to glow with an immense force, Incineroar's confident, smug grin slowly faded into concern as the blinding light around it suddenly engulfed both of the combatants in a gigantic explosion that leveled the whole arena.

With Gigalith out for the count as well as Incineroar, Hilbert send out Unfezant, a male, next as his replacement. Trixie suddenly scoffed, as she casually sent out her next Pokémon in the form of a Raichu much like Ash's own, but something was different about it; it had the same general appearance of an Alolan Raichu, but its whole body was chocolate brown as the distinct cry of Raichu let its sparkly skin known very cheerfully.

As Raichu suddenly summoned forth bolts of lightning across the entire arena in a large scale discharge of electrical energies, Unfezant flew around the arena at immense speeds to avoid Raichu's attack, before suddenly flying up into the highest points of the air, and then coming down upon Raichu like a living missile in a powerful dive bomb from the air, in which Raichu was caught off guard and knocked off of its balance by the attack, but Unfezant as knocked out once the flurry of electrical surges, as well as the recoil from the attack, dealt damage to Unfezant in an immense scale all at once.

"You're trying to hurry this, aren't you kid?" Hilbert asked, as he called back Unfezant, all the while Trixie didn't answer him. Instead, Hilbert sent out Galvantula next as Galvantula had a good advantage against Raichu…

… Until Trixie switched out Unfezant mid battle and sent out a very obscured, hidden Pokémon covered in a rag and carrying a stick that only vaguely at best resembled a Pikachu, all the while it let out a distorted, ghostly cry that attempted to mimic Pikachu's own speech.

As Trixie suddenly gestured with her body and hands, she could feel an immense surge of energy flow into Mimikyu at once, in which Mimikyu suddenly jumped up towards Galvantula as the multiple eyed Pokémon attempted to analyze its target as it looked underneath that rag to try and aim…

Only to immediately freeze in place at the sight of the piercing red, glowing eyes as two, giant clawed arms unsheathed themselves as lunged at Galvantula for a very, very close and "affectionate" hug in the form of various scrapping, clawing, gnawing, among other things Mimikyu was doing to Galvantula all the while it kept trying to drag itself out of the cloud of sparkly dust in a fit of terror. Hilbert, horrified as to what he was just seeing, quickly called back Galvantula without even checking if Galvantula had enough health to continue further.

Suddenly sending out Stoutland next, Stoudland moved to rush forward at Mimikyu with powerful, jagged fangs grabbing a hold of the ragged form and busting the rag's disguise apart, but keeping enough intact to not allow it to actually see the demon underneath of it. Stoutland appeared smarter in this regard, until it quickly realized just how sturdy Mimikyu's ability to take damage was, all the while it equally noted just how strong Mimikyu's attack as a giant mallet shaped out of wood suddenly manifested behind Stoutland.

With one foul swoop, Stoutland was smashed with immense force by the hammer being dropped upon its back with an immense force by Mimikyu. Mimikyu simply glared at Hilbert as Hilbert looked terrified of the Pokémon. Instead of trying to send out his next Pokémon, however, Hilbert instead took some cloth out from his bag as he slowly moved to step into the field. At this point, he knew he would've surrendered to Trixie, but that was far from his concern right now.

All he did now was slowly approach Mimikyu with its busted up disguise and used the cloth in his hand to quickly bandage up the disguised form of Mimikyu as calmly and as carefully as possible. As Hilbert remained calm even as Mimikyu glared at him all the while, Hilbert calmly and carefully repaired Mimikyu's disguise, as he backed away from Mimikyu as Mimikyu now had a chance to look at itself carefully.

As Mimikyu calmed down by a wide margin, Mimikyu cheerfully perked up all the while Hilbert uncomfortably laughed nervously in the presence of this Pokémon, as Mimikyu cheerfully bounced as Trixie eventually returned Mimikyu to its Poké Ball as Hilda and Billie moved to pick up Hilbert as Hilda suddenly locked her lips with Hilbert's long before he had a chance to speak.

"Awkward kissing like that in front of a little girl, isn't it?" Trixie asked as she watched as Hilbert was speechless as he regained his composure, all the while Hilda and Billie both chuckled at his embarrassment right now. Now Hilbert, underneath his hat, suddenly began to chuckle as well as he finally allowed himself to truly smile for once.

As Ash was watching from the lobby as to Hilbert's performance, he smiled on the inside knowing Hilbert is finally beginning to be the better man for once compared to how they first met. Misty, sitting beside Ash, moved in close to seemingly kiss him on his cheek, but soon moved to his ear and simply spoke.

"Do you want to head up and start your match next, Ash?" Misty asked, rather innocently, as Ash looked at Misty and blinked.

"D-Did you…?" Ash asked, rather stunned that he heard Misty speak; Iris had been silent about the subject out of respect for Ash and Misty's privacy, but Misty decided to reveal it to Ash herself.

"Yes, yes I did."

_**Round 1: Red VS Blue** _

"After the events of the previous battle, all future matches in the Pokémon League for the duration of this particular League will use a 3v3 format. I hope you all are considerate with my wishes on this." Alder spoke up as he announced it to everyone, all the while N raised an eye from where he stood in the podium with Alder.

"You're seriously going through with that?" N asked Alder, to which Alder nodded.

"Of course; a guest to Unova should at the very least have their word listened to."

"Pokémon, GO!" The announcer spoke towards the audience as they all began to cheer in a boastful applause for Red and Blue, though more so in Blue's favor as Blue sent out his first Pokémon.

"Pidgeot, you're first!" Blue called, all the while Red looked at Blue with a stoic glare.

"Snorlax, go get em!" Red called, as out of his Poké Ball came a large, portly Pokémon with a rather sleepy expression and a bear-like appearance to it. Dwarfing Pidgeot in size, it did not appear like it had agility in its favor in the slightest.

As Blue's Pidgeot flew circles around Snorlax like some vast, predatory bird, Blue was taking precaution as to the fight after Snorlax didn't even budge as Pidgeot used its wings to summon up a large tornado in the center of its flight circle with Snorlax directly inside of it and getting tossed around the air like a ragdoll. Snorlax barely even flinched to that move; what was Red playing at?

"Perhaps it's time to amplify things further at this rate." Blue said as he tapped his right ear; on it appeared an earring, but not just any earring at it contained a Key Stone within it, as suddenly in an explosive burst of energy surrounding Pidgeot, it Mega Evolved into Mega Pidgeot and proceeded to summon forth immense, gale winds around Snorlax a second time as the intensity of the tornado-level winds were beginning to get to Snorlax a lot; Snorlax seemingly collapsed on the ground knocked out, but the look on Red's face indicated he had one last trick up his sleeve.

Suddenly gesturing with his arms and body as an aura flared around him, the golden energy surrounded Snorlax as its sleepy form began to radiate with a powerful aura. As Mega Pidgeot moved in to attack directly, it was greeted with the uncomfortable sight of glowing yellow eyes suddenly opening up on Snorlax's face. Snorlax, in a sudden burst of agility, lifted itself up off of the ground as it proceeded to charge and run at full speed towards Mega Pidgeot.

Normally Mega Pidgeot should've been able to dodge this, but due to its own unleashed power as its Mega Evolved form, it had no choice but to forcefully allow Snorlax's attack to connect; Snorlax, jumping up into the air as with each jump it took it was higher in the air, it finally jumped one last time before crashing its entire weight down upon Mega Pidgeot and scoring the KO as the entire ground shook with a fierce intensity.

With Mega Pidgeot reverting back to Pidgeot and being called back by Blue, Blue sent out a large, massive canine turned full on bestial ferocious in mortal form known as Arcanine, as it let loose an ungodly howl that caused the entire audience to begin chanting Blue's name. Red's Snorlax, though, simply charged forward as it moved to jump into the air and proceed to land both of its feet into Arcanine with an earth shattering force, but Arcanine barely even flinched as it proceeded to use only its jaws to grab hold of Snorlax's right arm and begin tossing it around like a ragdoll as it savagely clawed and bit at Snorlax into submission.

Snorlax, being dropped by Red's side of the field, was called back by Red as Red sent out a Pokémon known as Lapras next, in which Lapras didn't even waste too much time with immediately opening its mouth and propelling a massive surge of water into Arcanine's face all at once; Arcanine, however, wasn't down yet despite being called back by Blue. Out next was Blue's true ace of the battlefield, in the form of a large, hulking tortoise with hidden cannons named Blastoise.

Lapras, meanwhile, proceeded to summon forth an immensely chilling wind with caused ice to spark around Blastoise; normally such an attack would do a Water Type like Blastoise no harm, but the sheer burning sensation of the sparks caused by the forming icicles gave Blastoise more pain than it normally would ever feel. As Ash and his friends were watching the fight intensively, Ash, as well as the spectating Regulus and Mewtwo, all had their senses perk up as Blastoise suddenly invoked an aura of its own in an unexpected change of pace.

Manifesting a sphere of aura in its hands, Blastoise shot forward to Lapras the multiple barrages summoned all at once as Aura Sphere was used to repeatedly be launched at Lapras until Lapras didn't have the energy left to continue, and thus forcing out Red's own signature Ace in the form of Charizard. Red simply gave Blue a rather stoic, but very noticeable glare, all the while he raised his left hand up to reveal a Mega Ring which Red taps the Key Stone in the center to have the Mega Stone equipped Charizard to Mega Evolve; whereas Alain was best known for Mega Charizard X, Red's Charizard began to surge with raw energy as a cocoon encased itself, before exploding out from within it and revealing Mega Charizard Y as its Mega Evolved form.

Suddenly, though, Blastoise realized something as the sunlight suddenly turned harsh, to which Blue simply chuckled as he noticed this little trick.

"Think you're so clever, eh? Never expect my Trump Card to be Mega Evolution, old friend!" Blue cockily spoke towards Red, as he performed the proper gesture in tandem with his Z-Ring he had equipped as Blastoise suddenly exploded with a raw aura of energy around itself. Mega Charizard Y, however, suddenly made an unusual move by manifesting a green shield around itself which encased it a durable protective covering as Mega Charizard Y fully prepared to take the hit directly.

As Blastoise suddenly caused the battlefield to erupt with a watery energy, Blastoise sucked Mega Charizard Y into a massive vortex of water as Blastoise propelled itself into it to rapidly tackle with its shell, withdrawing its head and limbs while doing so, to tackle into Mega Charizard Y as the crashing movements of the vortex and the collision with Mega Charizard Y and Blastoise tested how durable Mega Charizard Y's shield would be.

In the aftermath of the attack, the water spilled out of the arena and filled the chasm beneath the arena at large. Mega Charizard Y's shield has dissipated from the attack; however, the fire on its tail suddenly burned with an immense energy as Mega Charizard Y was still capable of putting up a fight as it suddenly manifested solar energy into itself, before opening its mouth and suddenly expelling a massive beam of energy from the sun to fire upon Blastoise and send it onto its back and knocked out.

Blue, though, simply chuckled as he whistled all the while drying himself off with a towel. "Wow, I'm still out of practice it seems. Guess I still have a use for this." Blue said after he finished drying himself off from Blastoise's attack, before quite literally throwing in the towel into the arena and admitting defeat to Red before he could give Arcanine a chance to go after Charizard; even he knew nowadays that Arcanine wouldn't last a single hit further at this point.

"Blue has forfeited the match! Red is the winner and will team up with Trixie to face Shauntal!" The announcer spoke in an excited tone, all the while Alder and N gave her a weird look from afar.

With Red and Blue giving a bow to each other before departing from the stage, Nanu was busy calculating the results of the fighters so far, all the while Red and Trixie both returned to the arena as manifesting out of nowhere and reading a book appeared Shauntal. Shauntal suddenly panicked as she noticed she was being watched.

"Jinkies! And even I thought I wouldn't be spotted writing this so quickly! Oh well, I'll save this rough draft for later it seems…"Shauntal remarked as she looked at Red and Trixie.

"So, both Fire Type Starter users and being of different ages and genders respectively; I can kind of appreciate the little things similarities would have with certain trainers, but I gladly appreciate the differences that outweigh them. With that said…" Shauntal said, as she called upon two Pokémon in the form of Ghost Types in the form of Cofagrigus and Chandelure.

"Shall we begin?"

"Pokémon, GO!" Trixie called as she and Red both proceeded to send out their Fire Starter Pokémon first; Incineroar and Charizard respectively, but something was noted to be off just as both of Shauntal's Pokémon were staying in an idle combat position. Charizard suddenly turned towards Incineroar in a fit of aggression, as Incineroar actively encouraged Charizard's behavior by letting out a vicious snarl towards it.

In the moment of confusion and anger, however, Incineroar found itself at the mercy of Golurk as it had jumped up into the air and suddenly caused the arena to tip and force Incineroar into the air. As Cofagrigus floated and Charizard was flying in the air, they were left to their own devices as Golurk suddenly tucked in its legs and flew into the air up towards Incineroar's helpless flailing about in the air, all the while Incineroar suddenly felt the immense weight and force of both of Golurk's fists suddenly smashing down against Incineroar's back and spiking the Heel Pokémon into the ground below and knocking it out cold.

… Or so it would seem, as even though it was now low on energy, Incineroar had jumped up into the air as fiery yet dark energy suddenly exploded around itself as it propelled itself into the air as it spun around with its wide, large arms being used to give itself some form of flight as it proceeding to claw away at Golurk with a brutal force, before suddenly jumping onto its back and grabbing both of its hands and propelling itself down to the ground below, even with itself beneath Golurk as both Pokémon proceeded to hit the ground and both get knocked out in response.

As Shauntal still had a Pokémon remaining, and Red still had Charizard remaining, Red simply made a gesture with his limbs as he summoned forth a powerful aura from Charizard's body as it suddenly awoken a powerful force as it opened its jaws wide and began to manifest a gigantic sphere of fire in which it exhaled it out towards Cofagrigus with an immense force in which the entire arena around Cofagrigus exploded into a giant inferno, in which the Coffin Pokémon was unable to last any further as it was knocked out.

Shauntal looked stunned to say the least, "Trixie if you don't mind sweets I'll have some of the staff at the very least reward you with some, considering even though you didn't make it past me, you still deserve brownie points for scoring the KO against Golurk due to Incineroar's trickster tendencies. With that said, Red, you are officially going to proceed to Round 2 the moment everyone else has fought the other two remaining members of the Elite Four, as to determine who among you shall be the final four in Round 2." Shauntal said as everyone in the audience proceeded to cheer Red's name all the while Trixie silently waved all the while calling Incineroar back and leaving the stage. Red promptly left as well, as Shauntal had seemingly vanished once more.

"So that's it for the first half of Round 1, eh? Not too impressed." Nanu spoke up from his booth, as Mewtwo raised an eye.

"Why?"

"Because Misty and Grandis aren't even going to be an official challenger because of the half time battle they'll be doing instead."

"Did you eagerly want your boss to beat up N for that matter?" Regulus asked, as Nanu simply gave the Lucario a cold glare.

"… Don't push me like that; we all know had Grandis truly been involved something bad would happen, alright? Let's be glad it didn't escalate to that level… especially after what you did the other day, Raiga." Nanu said as he suddenly turned his attention towards the Omegamon standing in the cramped room, as Mewtwo groaned as it looked at Nanu while shaking its head.

"Nanu, go easy on her; the tight room is already punishment enough as it is."

"IS IT?!" Nanu suddenly spoke up as everyone's attention suddenly turned towards him. "For all we know UB Templar and UB Fog could be lying in wait without any of us knowing of some kind of ambush ahead of time; Raiga could've scouted the other day but instead chose to take part in Drayden's petty spite contest towards Ash instead, and look where that got her; all knocked out and unable to scout for the two Ultra Beasts!" Nanu called out Mewtwo's response, as Mewtwo simply gave a defiant glare all the while Regulus watched as Delia and Tera were in the ring now, with the battle over by the time this conversation having been going on.

"Tera's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner is Delia!"

"Fan-fricking-tastic. Tera wanted to play a role here and she couldn't even bother to bring your mother here for the job, ole' Reg." Raiga called out towards Regulus, as Regulus's eyes narrowed.

"Excuse me? You mean gramps, right? Because Arcturus was Sirius' partner, and the elder is the one with Tera; in fact I didn't even notice her aura here so for all I know Tera has something else in mind we honestly don't know just yet!" Regulus shouted towards Raiga as Mewtwo suddenly raised its arms to use a telekinetic power to freeze everyone in the room still.

"Hilda's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner is N!" The announcer said, as Hilda looked horrified as to what she was looking at as her Braviary and other Pokémon were struck down so effortlessly by the immense, towering form of Vahirom before her. N simply looked at Hilda with a glare and a smirk, which only further caused Hilda to get uncomfortable as she fled from the arena with the implications her mind was getting filled with.

"… Do you hear that?" Mewtwo asked of the group in the booth, as Nanu, Regulus, and Raiga listened in towards what Mewtwo was allowing them to hear; N's very own thoughts.

"Kill them all, my son…"

**To Be Continued.**


	78. Chapter 77: The Final Four

It wasn't a competition at this point to figure out who would be winning towards the end; unleashing all of its power at once, N forcefully rigged his match with the Elite Four member known as Grimsley, as Delia was forced to watch as Vahirom not only KO'd both of Grimsley's Pokémon, but had first set Vahirom against Lugia in which even Lugia's mighty power was miniscule compared to Vahirom's immensely armored hide.

"Very well, N, as much as I hate to say this… you pass into Round 2; now do me a favor and calm the frick down, alright?!" Grimsley shouted angrily towards N as his mood was very sour with the uncharacteristic behavior N was showing at once. N had already left the stage by that point, all the while Delia was standing there in shock as to what she had seen.

"… He didn't even thank me for having helped his sisters…" Delia mumbled towards herself, as N coldly left her there and ignored her while he walked back into the lounge.

"I wouldn't give him any dignity with how cold he behaved right now; he only got past because he didn't break any of the rules, nothing more, nothing less." Grimsley said as he walked up towards Delia and laid a hand on her shoulder, to which Delia suddenly pushed him away as she cringed at the touch of his hand.

"Screw yourself, Grimsley; I only need one man at this rate and he's still gone…" Delia said as she angrily walked off, as Grimsley frowned a bit.

"… But isn't he dead…?" Grimsley said, as he suddenly heard an odd, ringing voice in his head.

_(No.)_

Nanu kept a close eye on everything that was unfolding, as Raiga looked ready to burst with outrage towards what Mewtwo was implying was going on with N.

"He'll die before he gets a chance to go to jail."

"Ash wouldn't sink that low." Regulus and Mewtwo both retorted to Raiga.

"YOU THINK?!"

"PROVE US WRONG THEN!"

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP?!" Nanu yelled as he slammed his fists against the table as he was nervously sweating a lot as his eyes widened. Moving to grab a container from his pocket and suddenly moving to stand and barge the door down as he left the room, Nanu's anxiety was beginning to come to a head as Nanu stepped outside and immediately busted out a cigarette from his holder and began to light it so he could relieve himself of the severe stress he had right now.

As he took several seconds to inhale the smoke from the small cigarette, he audibly blew it out of his mouth in an exhausted, drained state of mind as he listened in to the colosseum and heard the announcer begin to speak up.

"Selene's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner is Cheren!" The announcer spoke up as the loud cheers of the audience could be heard from outside where Nanu was standing and taking a break from the small room so he could calm himself down.

"Didn't imagine you as a smoker, Nanu." Martin suddenly spoke up as he revealed his presence, as he showed himself as he was quietly drinking from a large bottle as Nanu raised an eye at Martin in response.

"Didn't imagine you as an alcoholic, Grandis." Nanu remarked back at Martin, as Martin simply sighed as he crushed the now empty bottle in his hand.

"It's soda."

"It's still an addiction."

"Whatever, point is, what exactly are you wanting me here for anyways?" Martin asked of Nanu, as Nanu simply groaned as he looked away.

"Tell me, Grandis; I've been hearing some rumors from Chronicler and Eidolon from behind the scenes; UB Fog and UB Templar. They're not the only UBs about to show up any time now, aren't they?" Nanu spoke up, as Martin simply chuckled.

"Oh, please… You think those things were ever UBs?! I'm surprised nobody told you that those are Alter Beasts, as in, the bastard in-laws who are native to Ultimoria as analogs to the Ultra Beasts of this local universe cluster." Martin spoke, as Nanu's eyes widened as he slowly turned to directly face him, as Nanu's gaze was absolutely serious.

"… Ultrarians… You mean to tell me that Shredder, Panzer, Fog, and Templar are fucking Ultrarians in the guise of Ultra Beasts…?!" Nanu asked Martin, as Martin nodded.

"Aye; the only reason myself or any other Ultimorian Deity observing the scene aren't going after them in a bloodlust is because of their Pokémon DNA making them non-full blood Ultrarians; had they been fully fledged Ultrarians, they would've been dead before they even would show up." Martin told Nanu, as Nanu sighed as he moved to inhale from his cigarette again.

"I figured as much… no wonder you didn't just actively seek them out yourself…" Nanu said as he exhaled a much more calm, relaxed breath of smoke as Martin sighed.

"Personally, Nanu, you need to just chill and calm yourself in preparation for when UB Templar and UB Fog decide to make their presence known. Just do me a good favor, give every Ambassador in that bunker of yours a break from the situation, every take some deep breaths, do whatever they need to do to vent some stress, and then prepare for battle once Team Plasma decides to intervene… alright?" Martin asked of Nanu as a favor, to which Nanu looked at Martin and nodded.

"Yes, sir…"

_**Round 1: Ash VS Bianca** _

Ash had walked up to the arena as his aura was already semi-ignited for this match; he knew something was fishy regarding N's behavior, and even then he wasn't going to jump to any conclusions so far. He was shocked, however, to see his mother there in the fight beforehand, and just insulted with how casually N went out of his way to ruin her chances of passing the league with abusing Vahirom's power.

Did Ash truly hate N though because of his sudden change? No, that was for certain; Ash knew too well that even N would not behave like this under normal conditions; these changes seem far too sudden and out of the blue for N at a time like this. Ash can only wonder now that Bianca has stepped up to her side of the ring now, though, as to what exactly to expect during Round 2; he knew far too well that N is going to cheese his way through the league with Vahirom alone, so it was inevitable that N would make it to Round 3 no matter who he challenged.

Still, though, as Ash drew out a Poké Ball to his side, he watched as Bianca did the same as both of them sent out their first Pokémon for the match at the same time as the other; Bianca had come so far despite her no longer being interested in the champion status alongside Cheren, but at the same time, Bianca was not exactly going to be an easy fight nevertheless.

Raichu and Emboar respectively were sent out first, as both Ash and Bianca surged with energy as their aura and heartsoul energy respectively surged around their bodies at this point.

"Pokémon, GO!" Ash and Bianca called, as Raichu made the first move by channeling a lot of thoughts into his mind all at once, before suddenly shaking about happily and eager to fight.

Emboar, meanwhile, grunted as he slammed his fists together as Bianca could feel the intense, fiery energy surge around Emboar as his body bulked up as he transformed into Warlord-Emboar. Warlord-Emboar snorted as his immense size looked over the much smaller Raichu, but Warlord-Emboar saw something that Bianca wouldn't have noticed yet; simply standing on one knee and raising its hand out to gesture Raichu to come close to attack, Emboar's other arm began to glow with an intense, ghostly energy all at once.

"GO!" Emboar suddenly roared towards Raichu, as Raichu nodded as he suddenly slid forward, riding his tail as a shield of electricity surrounded him; Warlord-Emboar moved to strike with Warlock Punch near immediately, but Raichu raised the bottom of his tail up and bashed against Warlord-Emboar's fist and sending him recoiling backwards, with Raichu taking the change to summon forth clouds above Warlord-Emboar's head and summon forth a massive bolt of thunder down upon Emboar, which despite the single hit of the attack, was more than enough to knock Warlord-Emboar out as he reverted back to normal and was called back by Bianca.

With Bianca sending out Stoutland next, Raichu's aura from Ash suddenly reached a fever pitch as Raichu manifested the aura towards his front as Stoutland was beginning to run around the field to strafe around Raichu.

"Raiii-CHU!" Raichu suddenly yelled, as he summoned forth a sphere of aura as Regulus and Mewtwo's eyes widened as they both took the chance to see this; without a doubt, Raichu summoned up an Aura Sphere to use against Stoutland, sending it hurtling his way as Stoutland was unable to dodge the homing projectile as Aura Sphere's charged up power struck him hard as Stoutland made one last effort to charge through it anyways and bite down on Raichu and begin to try and shake him around with his jaws.

Raichu, however, suddenly let out an electrical discharge that knocked Stoutland out after this last ditch effort. As Bianca called Stoutland back, she immediately sent out Latias for her final Pokémon of the match. Bianca, looking down around her left hand and showing her ring finger with the ring Cheren had given her in his proposal, Bianca nodded as she revealed that the gemstone on it is indeed a Key Stone and pressed against it with her hand against her chest and eyes closed with Cheren's confidence on her mind as if to try and channel him.

As a result of this prayer-like effect she had on the Key Stone, not only did Latias proceed to encase itself in energy to where it awoken from it as Mega Latias, but her energy also overcharge to where Bianca had to lean down to steady her footing as Mega Latias suddenly was filled with an immense boost of heartsoul energy, before suddenly charging around her mouth a violet sphere of energy which was fired outwards in the shape of a powerful, energy forged drake which flew towards Raichu and suddenly struck him with an immense force that ultimately knocked him out in the explosive finish of the move.

As Raichu was called back by Ash, Ash thought very carefully as to how to finish the match; he knew he already was going to win this one, but he didn't want to be too harsh about it; the reminders of N's victories still burned in his mind, and as a result, Ash sent out Krookodile as his next Pokémon as Krookodile was ready for combat after letting out a vicious roar towards Mega Latias. Suddenly charged with energy from Ash, Krookodile exhaled a powerful, pitch black vortex as it was launched and manifested above Mega Latias as it forcefully dragged her inside of it, and exploding around her once she was fully in the center.

Mega Latias slowly fell to Bianca's side as she reverted back into Latias, as Bianca and Ash moved out onto the field to carefully help Latias back up with Ash doing the honors of healing Latias with a potion to get her health back up. Bianca looked teary eyed, as Ash looked concerned as he could feel his heart skip a beat as he looked at her closely.

"Thank you, Ash… for continuing with your lifelong dream…" Bianca thanked Ash, as the audience cheered as Ash was now the winner of this final match of Round 1.

"Bianca is out of usable Pokémon, the winner is Ash! Now let's wrap up Round 1 with the final member of the Elite Four! Enter Caitlin!" The announcer spoke, as Ash moved to step back to his side of the field, as Ash watched as Cheren walked up and joined his side, as Bianca walked beside him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she walked back into the lounge, as Cheren blushed a bit from Bianca's gesture, before regaining his composure as he joined Ash's side of the field as from the opposite site of the field floated a thin, slumbering figure of a girl with immensely large hair wrapped and braided in frilly bows, as her white and pink outfit looked more like she was ready for bed than she was for battle.

Sending out two Pokémon in the form of Gothitelle and Reuniclus, Caitlin appeared fast asleep as her concentration was focused on the battle as she saw it in her dream. Cheren and Ash nodded with each other as they both sent out the only Pokémon they knew they would need for this fight; Serperior and Samurott respectively were sent out, as Cheren and Ash overcharged themselves with their respective aura and energy respectively as they caused Serperior and Samurott to transform into Warlord-Serperior and Warlord-Samurott respectively.

In an odd, surprising twist of fate, though Warlord-Serperior suddenly unleashed Eternal Light in full force against Reuniclus, only for her to suddenly slither forward and end up using the attack against herself as to knock out both Reuniclus and herself with the immense force of the beam. Reuniclus was called back, as Warlord-Serperior reverted back to Serperior as she herself was called back.

Warlord-Samurott suddenly roared at Gothitelle, though, as he suddenly rushed forward and slammed it into the air with his seamitanas and suddenly began to hack and slash away with the twin weaponry to beat Gothitelle into submission, in which upon landing the final blow and sending it plummeting into the ground, Warlord-Samurott jumped back and reverted into Samurott as he let out a fierce howl, as the howl was enough to actually cause Caitlin to wake up as she calmly floated down to the ground on her bare feet.

"O-Oh… over already? I could've sworn Metagross and…" Caitlin spoke up, before she realized which Pokémon she had sent out weren't the ones she thought she was seeing in her side of things within her mind. "Oh… how embarrassing… but it doesn't matter now, though… the winner is you, Ash Ketchum." Caitlin spoke towards Ash, as Ash nervously scratched the back of his head as he tried to process all of this in his mind, as Cheren nodded at Ash all the while he moved to head back into the lounge to see Bianca.

"Now then, the final results of Round 1 are Ash, N, Red, and Giselle being the challengers for Round 2. The final four trainers will be pitted against each other just before Round 3 will determine which of the two winners will be eligible to become the Champion of the Unova Region!" The announcer spoke, as Ash was paying full attention to what she had to say, as were N, Red, and Giselle for that matter.

"First up in the ring will be Giselle facing off against N, and then afterwards Red will be facing off against Ash… BUT FIRST!" The announcer detailed, before Ash was stunned as Misty had casually walked by him as the sight of her made Ash's aura destabilize at the sight of her; wearing nothing but a bikini and a coat to cover herself so far, which she quickly ditched as Misty exposed herself to the elements of the arena in her alluring, sparkling swimwear.

"Misty, representative of the Pokémon World, shall be facing off against the representative of the unknown world of Ultimoria, the King of the Ultimorian Deities known as Grandis!" The announcer spoke, as Misty readied herself for battle as Poké Balls lined around a belt she had around her bottom piece, as Ash was too stunned by the sudden shift in uniform from Misty to budge where he's from at the moment as he was speechless right now.

Martin himself, meanwhile walked up to his side of the arena as Martin showcased a largely built, hulking armor he had materialize around himself standing nearly 20 feet tall as Grandis took the stage.

"In the name of the King of the Ultimorian Deities, I, Grandis, shall knock you down!" Grandis boasted loudly as his voice was amplified by the suit of armor he had equipped on himself materialized from thin air. Misty subsequently responded by sending out Groudon in an odd twist of her usual Pokémon, in which Groudon reacted to the primal energy it had with the Red Orb, before suddenly awakening its true power as it encased itself in a gemstone core of molten rock and lava, before suddenly exploding from out of it as it unleashed a deep, growling roar as fire filled its veins and its eyes were turned a molten red and gold from the immense power, as the sun glowed in the sky with an increased intensity unlike any before seen in this region.

As Ash stepped out of the way back into the lounge to watch from a safer distance, he was stunned to see Misty deciding to be the one to fight Granids at seemingly uneven odds.

"He's not going to, is he?" Raiga commented from the booth she and the others were in.

"He is." Nanu, Mewtwo, and Regulus spoke up to answer her, as Grandis suddenly charged up in energy to where his entire body practically shined completely solid gold with the intense amount of aura and energy encompassing him at the moment. After a moment, all the while Primal Groudon even itself on the field, Grandis suddenly, with his saurian robotic head, moved to charge a giant, immense sphere of light energy in his mouth. As the entire nearby surroundings had all of the light touching upon them drawn into the sphere Grandis was creating with the intense surge of power, the giant ball of light nearly tripled in its initial size, before Grandis launched it towards Primal Groudon.

As Primal Groudon simply stomped its foot down, it roared as it looked upon the incoming sphere of light; before it knew it, it was engulfed entirely as the darkened area of the colosseum was suddenly all filled with light as the sphere exploded like a nuclear warhead in the center of the arena, to which even Grandis was overwhelmed by the energy as it actually shattered his armor off of him upon the impact occurring.

In the aftermath as the energy dissipated entirely and returned the surroundings to normal, Primal Groudon reverted back into Groudon as it suddenly collapsed with the damage it took around the same time the now back to normal Martin fell onto his back unconscious from the attack.

As the audience were shocked as to how quickly the battle had ended, especially considering the sheer, raw power Grandis had used against Primal Groudon, Misty called back Groudon as she began to steadily clap, as soon the entire audience for that matter began to clap as well, one by one after the other, to join everyone in a round of applause for Martin's little demonstration there. Mewtwo, using its telekinetic grab to warp Martin into the booth with it and the others, watched as Misty left the stage with her coat back on and looked down at the remaining challengers shown on the widescreen in the arena; just Ash, N, Red, and Giselle remained, and it knew all too well that however this was going to end, it would probably not be a pretty sight.

Especially considering now that Martin is down for the count, they no longer have a means of knowing for certain what to expect next.

**To Be Continued.**


	79. Chapter 78: The Power of the Horde

"Knockout! Giselle is out of usable Pokémon! The winner is N!"

The announcer seemed to keep her usual joyful tone despite everything that has transpired so far. While N has so far finished up Round 1 with a clean sweep against Hilda, and in the intermission, Misty and Grandis fighting each other, N seemed to continue to abuse the power of Vahirom to his heart's content. Did he even realize what he was doing?

"Of course he doesn't, Martin; you know all too well that-"

"He's a hypocrite to no end, I know that." Martin spoke to Nanu as they were walking around the lobby as they were both keeping a sharp eye out on the windows of the place, as if expecting something to show up.

"Still, at the very least give him some credit; the fact Alder is letting him progress this far using that overpowered Legendary Pokémon is astonishing in and of itself." Nanu spoke up, all the while he sounded rather cold towards Alder with the last bit of his rant.

"Trust me, Necrozma freaking out at Eidolon and outright preventing itself from unleashing Ultra Burst on everything at the cost of getting mind controlled for a while is more astonishing all things considered." Martin said as he moved to sit down in a cafeteria area, as he called for a waiter. "Anything you want as a last meal in case we don't make it out of this alive? It's on me." Martin asked Nanu, as a waiter came to serve the two when ready, as Nanu looked baffled by Martin's implication, but nevertheless sighed.

"Z-Kaiseki Ronin Set, please." Nanu spoke up, as the waiter looked at Grandis next.

"Large Miltank Cheese Pizza." Martin spoke up, as Nanu raised as an eye as the waiter proceeded to go prepare their orders.

"Never took you as one to eat without any toppings for once." Nanu spoke up, "Something bugging you, Grandis?" Nanu asked since he had a good look in Martin's brown and silver eyes, as Martin looked back at him as the silver pupils turned into cat-like slits.

"… Chronicler is losing his shit because of being in a position of power at 19, and it wasn't even my own choice in the matter; he chose to fill the role on his own consent the moment he accepted Eidolon's duel over those two's fucking egos revolving around a semi-invincible sword…" Martin spoke in a somewhat solemn tone, as Nanu blinked.

"So you're having issues with coping with trying and failing to be a parent for once." Nanu said, as a waitress walked out with Nanu's order of Z-Kaiseki, in its Ronin Set he specified, as Nanu began to eat right away, disregarding his mouth being full as he would continue to talk. "Besides, what are you concerned the boy might do? He's keeping himself in line so far, surprisingly enough." Nanu spoke up, as Martin groaned a bit as he was handed his order of his Miltank Cheese Pizza, as Martin immediately grabbed a large slice and gorged on it hungrily.

"It's not what he might do, it's what he already has done I'm worried about. The kid never truly learned the concept of right and wrong to the point I can't tell whether he's making a decision on his own, or Eidolon manipulated him into a decision. Even then Eidolon himself is a wild card; sometimes he'll live up to his malevolent appearance, other times he'll flat out go out of his way to outright prevent destruction for no discernable reason." Martin told Nanu, as Nanu listened.

"I'm not a good father; I was never intended to be such, I was forced into the position just like everything else I ever took the role of even if some aspects of my mind had embraced it. My point is, I'm concerned over both Chronicler and Eidolon here. I know Eidolon isn't my son, but I know he deserves better considering I owed a promise to the late Zaalim after all… You begin to look at the actions Chronicler and Eidolon have done over the past year in Ultimoria's timespan, and then you begin to ask yourself one key thing." Martin began to finish up as he was almost done with his pizza all the while Nanu still had plenty of kaiseki to eat still.

"Who the true villain of the pair is…" Nanu spoke up to finish what Grandis was saying, as Grandis hungrily devoured the last slice of his pizza.

"Precisely." Martin said, as he now looked at the TV up above him and Nanu as he began to watch as two similar, but different trainers moved to stand and take their respective sides of the ring.

_**Round 2: Ash VS Red** _

"We're pleased to announce our semi-final round ends with two trainers; a long established legend, and a legend in the making! Give it up for Red and Ash!" The announcer spoke, as the crowd cheered at the sight of Ash and Red taking their respective sides of the battlefield.

"I wish you luck, Red." Ash said as he looked towards his opponent as he responded with sending out Krookodile at his first Pokémon.

"This isn't my fight, you know." Red said as he sent out Lapras as his first Pokémon on his side.

"Either way, we all know how this is going to end." Ash said as he looked upon his near doppelganger-like counterpart before him.

"And it comes down to two little words…" Red spoke up, before he and Ash shared an intense gaze into the other's eyes.

"Pokémon, GO!" Ash and Red called in unison as Krookodile suddenly rushed forward to rush at Lapras as Lapras was quick to slide on the ground of the arena to avoid Krookodile's incoming lunge with his jaws open wide, all the while Lapras ducked its head with Krookodile's second attempt to lunge at it in a quick turnaround. Lapras, at this point, had enough as it suddenly summoned forth an immense blizzard the rendered all of the remaining heat from Grandis' and Misty's battle back to colder weather, as Lapras unleashed the immense storm of icy shards and cold wind against Krookodile.

"Hang in there, Krookodile!" Ash called from his side of the arena, as Ash's aura flared up and encased Ash in the bluish form it had for the moment.

Krookodile, meanwhile, moved to suddenly lunge at Lapras a third time and this time wrapping its jaws around Lapras' head, in which Krookodile shifted its weight in the air with the help of its tail as it picked Lapras off of the ground, lifting the Transport Pokémon overhead, before suddenly and in the blink of an eye sending Lapras crashing into the arena with an immense, earth shattering force that shook the entire arena to where Red's and Ash's footing was partially destabilized for a moment.

"Nice job, Lapras." Red said as he called the knocked out Lapras back as regained his footing, as he ended up tossing his next Pokémon's Poké Ball up into the air as he called forth Snorlax, who used the increased starting altitude to attempt to body slam Krookodile with its whole weight and immense size. Krookodile, as he moved to dodge, was caught in the loud crash Snorlax had against the ground and crushed underneath Snorlax's weight. As Ash called back Krookodile, he called forth Altair as Altair's permanently Mega Evolved form caught the entire arena off guard as they wondered what Altair had done to initiate this drastic change…

… Just as the TV screens began to flicker, as the entire power in the colosseum began to flicker on and off. Martin and Nanu both looked at each other as Nanu finally finished his kaiseki, as the two of them nodded, as they both proceeded to move off of their seats to go find the others.

"Regulus, Mewtwo, prepare yourselves!" Nanu called on his communicator.

"That goes double time for you too, Raiga!" Martin called on his communicator of the same type as Nanu's.

"What about the civilians?" Regulus and Raiga asked from their end.

"Leave that issue to me; I'm just waiting for the damned Alter Beasts to show themselves at this rate, or for the other party to make their move first whichever beats the other out." Mewtwo spoke as it stood tall atop the air of the colosseum, as its eyes glanced on everything in range at once; the entire ground was shaking, but it wasn't yet noticeable for the vast majority.

"Altair, Aura Storm!" Ash called, as Altair's body suddenly ignited with aura as he jumped into the air, as Red looked upon the Mega Lucario with his Mega Ring shifting to show a Z-Crystal in a different segment of it.

"Pulverizing Pancake, Snorlax!" Red called he made the gesture appropriate for the move to call forth a whole load of aura into Snorlax, as Snorlax's adrenaline suddenly sparked as its eyes glowed immensely at Altair above as it suddenly jumped high up into the sky well beyond where Altair was floating in the air.

" **Behold the power of aura!"**  Altair suddenly shouted as he charged the sphere of energy in his hands for a brief moment as he suddenly fired the aura outwards as a massive beam of energy, as Snorlax came crashing through it, nearly getting knocked out in the process, as it suddenly slammed its chubby form against Altair's palms as the area around them in the sky suddenly exploded with an immense force upon contact being made between the two powered up Pokémon.

As Snorlax fell to the ground and collapsed in a lazy heap, Altair landed on the ground as his left leg suddenly gave in in immense pain upon landing, letting out a yelp of a bark as Ash quickly noticed Altair's injury.

"Altair!" Ash called out to his young Mega Lucario in a fit of worry and concern; the injury gave him a clear reminder of Regulus beforehand.

" **I'm fine; let me do this, please!"**  Altair barked back at Ash, as Red sent out his next Pokémon in the form of Jolteon, as Ash and Altair were both taken off guard by the fact Red chose to not use his Charizard for this fight.

And they quickly learned why, as without even being able to have a chance to blink, Jolteon had fired a spear of lightning directly through Altair as the electrical currents shocked Altair all across his veins, as Altair ended up passing out as Ash moved to quickly return him to his Poké Ball in response to Jolteon's sudden knock out of Altair. Ash decided he only had one Pokémon whom could truly stand a testament to Red's Jolteon, as he called upon Samurott as his own aura ignited further, as Samurott immediately made his presence known with a fierce howl as he cloaked himself in a watery veil of energy.

As he quickly immerged as Warlord-Samurott, Warlord-Samurott effortlessly took a sudden strike of lightning from Jolteon with ease due to his Ground Type, as Warlord-Samurott moved to toss Jolteon up into the air with a single slash of his seamitanas, as he suddenly began to flare up in energy as each repeated strike with his seamitanas caused an immense explosion with each blow against Jolteon's body, before suddenly raising both bladed weapons up and sending himself and Jolteon plummeting to the ground in which Jolteon was knocked out by the immense, explosive force of the move hitting it at once.

As Red called back Jolteon, he stepped into the ring as he moved to congratulate Ash on his victory…

… But this war was far from over as the audience suddenly freaked out as the power was beginning to die out in the colosseum. Red looked upwards in the sky, as did Ash as both trainers freaked out with what they both saw before them.

"Oh, Ash, how you only would expect me to obey the rules like everyone else in this tournament; I was letting my patience slip little by little, as if to ask myself why I was even bothering with allowing this tournament to proceed; all of the Pokémon being harmed in a sport of bloodshed, but for what gain? For a single human to have the honor of being called this region's Champion? How quant… You have no idea as to who I truly am, do you?" N's voice spoke up, as Ash's expression turned furious as he looked with his aura to determine what all on the sky he was looking at.

Nothing; the entire, pitch black of the sky up ahead showcased not a single aura at all, as it quickly revealed why as Ash opened his eyes and proceeded to see two, piercing yellow eyes as flying high in the air appeared to be a gigantic, serpentine figure whose body was made up of some kind of unknown fog; UB Fog finally showed itself at long last, as rising from the ground around the Colosseum, summoned forth by the loud, echoing roar of UB Fog, appeared to be immense, castle-like structures which all emerged from the ground and had massive staircases strike down into the arena, piercing the reinforced dome of the colosseum at large as various creatures began to fall from UB Fog's body in response to now being able to land before everyone in sight.

Mewtwo, in a sudden, bright flash, warped out every civilian in the vicinity as it warped every trainer who displayed a will to defend the colosseum into the arena with Ash and Red; joined by the Gym Leaders and Elite Four, Ash and Red looked at each other just before any fight were to begin.

"Go find N! Stop this war between all of Unova and Team Plasma!" Red told Ash, as Ash nodded as he was quick to call off of his Pokémon back, making sure each of them were at his side, as he rushed up one of the many staircases of the castle rising from the ground and making its large presence known.

As Ash stepped foot on the highest step before the immediate entrance, he looked down upon everyone and noticed everyone beginning to call their Pokémon out and begin to fend off the creatures UB Fog was beginning to spawn before them below, all the while UB Fog let out an immense roar as its giant, soulless face glared upon Ash at the entrance of the castle. Just before it could rush Ash all at once with an immense bite, Ash quickly head inside of the castle to avoid the attack as UB Fog's head crashed against the outer walls of the castle.

Now all that was on Ash's mind was to find N and stop all of this nonsense all at once. As Ash rushed through the interior of the castle to find his way around the immense, maze-like formation of the castle's hidden beauty despite the whole facility being owned by Team Plasma, Ash couldn't help but notice something off about what lay ahead.

The Sages all stood up ahead, blocking Ash's path from further entry into the castle.

"Going somewhere?" The oddly alive Zinzolin asked, as even his voice sounded like death and decay as it was clear he was brought back with haste, presumably through Ghetsis' many stolen powers. Heck, all of the others looked to be the same; Ash looked horrified as the undead-like men stood in his path.

"Yes, yes Ash will definitely be going through." Drayden's voice suddenly spoke up as he made himself known as he walked into the room, taking Ash's side.

"We had seen enough of your schemes from behind the scenes; had we known you would've gone this far, we would've taken you out long before now!" Clay spoke up as he joined Ash and Drayden's side.

"Honestly, I expected there to be hidden secrets you would have, but nothing could beat my expectations than this… however, enough is enough." Lenora spoke as she walked up beside Clay.

"Yes, indeed; enough is enough; ditch the charade; we've come to stop you to redeem ourselves in the eyes of the Hero of Truth and Ideals." Burgh spoke up as he walked into the room as he took the other Gym Leader's side.

"I may have never had the courage to have been there for the other my whole life, but I can respect his choice of friends; he knew too well that Ash's happiness meant more than his, and I will see to it to respect that wish!" Brycen said as he materialized from the icy shadows to confront the Sages of Team Plasma.

"We will not stand for this!" Skyla said, rather blunt and simple, as she joined the others for the fight much like before.

"You will know our sense of justice and respect for trainers and Pokémon alike!" Elesa said as she walked into the room while carrying a Poké Ball by her side near immediately ready for battle.

"I will not let you succeed in your schemes any further!" Iris called as she showed herself by Ash's side, as Ash looked at her with a nod.

"Please, sages, mind we ask why you were hiding many things about us gracile men?" Cilan, Chili, and Cress said in unison as they three joined the other Gym Leader's sides.

"And perhaps as we are technically in charge of you, would you prefer us three robust men to force you down, or should we give you a fighting chance?" The Shadow Triad spoke in serious unison as they manifested behind their counterparts of this timeline.

"Ash, go on and go forth! Arise and ascend, for awaken thy king!" All of the Gym Leaders as well as the Shadow Triad said to Ash all at once as they suddenly called forth their Pokémon to assist as the Team Plasma Sages suddenly called their own Pokémon as several Team Plasma grunts joined the fray as Ash allowed the Gym Leaders to take the fight to themselves so he could get the chance to sneak past by the others in Team Plasma, so that he could finally focus on the one truly important here.

His name's N.

**To Be Continued.**


	80. Chapter 79: N's Castle

Ash had begun to rush through N's Castle in search of N after the Gym Leaders and Shadow Triad made their move to pitch in with a distraction, as Ash searched throughout the castle, and progressively found empty rooms after the other…

… Before coming across a room that had disturbed him; the other rooms liked well decorated, royalty fitting rooms. The room as he saw before him now, however, looked like a child's bedroom; various toys scattered around the room, many, many plushies of Pokémon littering the room all at once, and even a toy trainset which looked like it was only just recently in use by someone.

"N… what is wrong with you…?" Ash said, rather solemnly, as he moved to make his leave from the room as he moved to continue his search as he headed up a flight of stairs and eventually found his way to the top floor and looked upon the entrance of it; out of the darkness of the room came the imposingly tall figure of Ghetsis as he walked on past Ash without regarding him as anyone noteworthy.

"Are you afraid, Ketchum…?" Ghetsis asked as he stopped beside Ash, all the while Ash didn't turn to face him.

"No…"

"Are you sure? Is that truly what you have to say before your own death impending soon?" Ghetsis asked, as Ash looked back at him with a rather cold glare uncharacteristic from him; he could see Ghetsis' aura loud and clear now, and not even the slightest fragment existed that he had anything redeeming about himself.

"Why… why are you doing this?" Ash called out Ghetsis; he wasn't fooled in the slightest that this entire arrangement was nothing but Ghetsis' plan the whole time. Ghetsis, however, didn't dignify Ash with an answer, and simply disappeared into the shadows and forcefully pushing Ash out towards the entrance of room before him. The room appeared massive, with giant pools of water filling both empty sides of the room, as Ash looked up ahead and saw N seated on a throne all by himself; nobody else was in sight at all at this point.

"So… it's just you and me now, I see." N spoke up, as he moved to stand up and walk over towards Ash in the arena-like center of the room. Ash simply quietly walked forward, all the while he drew out a Poké Ball at first as if tempted to just begin the fight then and there, but he suddenly put it back very calmly as he closed his eyes, just to see something about N now that he had the chance.

N's aura; he couldn't identify it at all as being either red or blue; it only showed up as gray.

"Don't you see it, Ash? Don't you see what the true colors of Team Plasma's King is?" N asked, as Ash was gazing at N's aura with confusion; he honestly couldn't sense any trace of Ghetsis within N, but something was up; what caused N to do this on his own?

"To suddenly wreak havoc on the populace of Unova is not something I wanted to do; it was my only means of getting them as far away from here as possible, if merely to keep the spread of the Alter Beasts from effecting the whole region." N spoke towards Ash, as Ash opened his eyes as they appeared their normal chocolate brown.

"N… are you serious about this…? You just wanted to keep everyone safe…?" Ash asked, as N looked reluctant to answer, but nevertheless he eventually nodded after a long pause.

"Yes, that is my intent; if the King of Team Plasma cannot keep the region of Unova safe, then what point is there even be than to keep this title even I knew I was never truly given?" N spoke up, as he called forth his Poké Ball containing Vahirom as Vahirom landed on the ground between Ash and N.

"Ash; I now ask a favor of you that may sound odd; I need you to reclaim Zekrom as yours, so you can finally save not just Unova, but save me from myself." N said to Ash, as Ash was beginning to make sense of the situation now. The bedroom showed that N was nothing more than an innocent soul at heart; a naïve, sheltered person who never truly got to see the outside world; it almost reminded him of himself. As Ash was about to reach for a Poké Ball from his pocket, he stopped and looked at his own reflection in the water beside the two of them and Vahirom.

All three of their auras were completely gray; both Ash and N did things both good and bad, but to differing deviants from each other in such regard; Ash tried his best to stay true to his own ideals; N tried to do what he thought was the truth. In reality, the two worlds could not stay united because of how different they were.

Which Ash and N both quickly came to a realization as they suddenly held a hand out with the Poké Ball they each used to contain Vahirom in its separate forms with, as Ash and N manifested aura and heartsoul around themselves to forcefully begin to pull Vahirom apart from its very foundation; yet again the Original Dragon of Unova Legend would be separated. Conflicting viewpoints would lead to it being back to Zekrom and Reshiram once more. Unlike before, where this was the cause of a war…

"… The war will end with the unison of this greater power, so that each of our sides are on an equal standing." Ash said, as watched, as did N, as Vahirom quietly went dormant as its God Stone began to reveal itself, and slowly separate itself into the Dark and Light Stones respectively. With both Dragon Stones forging back into Zekrom and Reshiram respectively, neither Legendary Pokémon looked too eager to want to fight each other at a time such as this; they both knew better than to try and fight at a sensitive time like this.

N, feeling his figure tremble all of a sudden, fell to the ground on his hands and knees as he had begun to sob; Ash quietly approached him, being as sensitive as possible as to not alarm N, to approach him and kneel down to his level. Offering a hand to N for him to take, Ash's warm expression maintained his serious intent as he welcomed N with open arms. N, looking towards Ash with shock, was clueless as to why Ash was making such a gesture.

"Y-You're… you're forgiving me that easily…? Even after all I had to do to get this far…?" N asked Ash, to which Ash nodded; moving to embrace N on his own in a tight, reassuring hug as N's eyes widened as looked at Ash, before slowly moving to return the embrace with him.

"Ahem…"

Neither of the two heard the king of gamons tried to interrupt and-

"Oh for fucks sake, LOOK BEHIND YOU ASH!" Grandis' shouting suddenly could be heard, as Ash's aura suddenly ignited as he moved in sync with Zekrom to parry a slash of claws with the unarmored Type: Full that Ghetsis had just behind Ash and before N's sensitive, open eyes of shock and horror.

"F-Father… I-I…"

"Don't you DARE have the audacity to say such a thing to me, pest!" Ghetsis said as he suddenly stomped forward as a telekinetic force shoved Zekrom and Reshiram aside into the pools to the side as Ghetsis kicked Ash in the head with his boot before Ghetsis suddenly grabbed N by the neck with his arm as he gasped in an exhausted, deprived of breath gaze.

"Not even bothering with the pretenses, aye, Grandis?! Good; so listen up, you persistent pest; I had done so much for you to be born into the role of the King of Team Plasma! I've made sure your goals would never fail! … Yet this is how you repay me after so many years of assistance to some abandoned child from the woods?! Having taken you in and raised you myself with blood, sweat, and tears and-"

"LIES!" Ash suddenly called as his aura immediately flared up into Aura Blitz, as he suddenly lifted himself off of the ground as his eyes burned an outright hostile red as in the palm of his right hand burned a sphere of aura aimed towards Ghetsis. Ghetsis, however, simply chuckled as he held N up in the way of himself; Ash's angered face simply looked even worse as the distraught he had against Ghetsis made him realize that this wouldn't exactly be easy. Lowering his hand and having the sphere dissipated, Ghetsis simply smirked at Ash's decision as he suddenly tossed N into the water. N tried his best to climb back out, but Ghetsis simply stomped his boot against N's head to knock him out and cause him to sink.

"I thought as much, Aura Guardian… Too worried about the life of innocents to even bother killing the villain… or, that is, if you even had the heart of a killer anyways…" Ghetsis said, as he looked upon Ash with his arm held out to his side. "Go on, do it; now's your chance!" Ghetsis said, as Ash simply glared at him, before rushing forward and jumping into the water behind Ghetsis to hurry and save N from drowning. Ghetsis, though, waited and stood still as he watched as Ash moved to grab N from underwater, before rising up only to be greeted by Ghetsis slamming his hand down upon Ash's head to force him under the water.

"What? You honestly expect me to be fair like that? You should've known better than that, you masochistic trainer…" Ghetsis said rather darkly as the other pool beside him erupted with Zekrom and Reshiram bursting out as both of them unleashing electrical and fiery energy at the same time as both of their roars echoed across the entire room; as their waves of energy exploded across the room, the pillars and structures around the pools collapsed as the water in both pools began to drain until nothing but mere puddles were left of them.

Ghetsis, though, simply looked towards Zekrom and Reshiram with a smirk as Type: Full looked ready for combat. "Clever…" Ghetsis complimented, before grabbing a Poké Ball by his belt and sending out an intimidating, three headed dragon Pokémon by his side known only by the name of Hydreigon.

"But not clever enough." Ghetsis said to Zekrom and Reshiram both, as he ignored Ash and his aura rising up from behind him as he focused on both of the Legendary Pokémon before him ready for combat. Ash, rising out of the drained pool with an unconscious N in his arms, moved to set N down safely as he moved to face Ghetsis with a hostile gaze.

"All talk yet no bite, aren't you?" Ash said as he remained calm and stoic about the whole ordeal, as Ghetsis moved to look back at Ash with his hidden prosthetic arm firing a bolt of ice at Ash. Ash, though, simply raised an arm and had the frigid air stop completely in place using his own aura.

"Says the nutcase who can't even be bothered to kill me?" Ghetsis said towards Ash, "I could've thought better from you considering what I had done to your father all those years ago and- … Oh, that reminds me; no wonder I'm getting déjà vu here; do you not realize it yet?" Ghetsis asked Ash with a bit of a sadistic grin.

"I'm the one who snuffed out his light all of those years ago, Ash Ketchum. After having manipulated him into a moment of weakness, he died without even realizing I was even there to be seen by him in his final moments." Ghetsis said as he looked stunned as he looked at Ash's gaze; Ash looked angered, sure, but he didn't get any noticeable reaction from Ash. Ash was just standing there as if his words went completely over his head.

"… Um… You're not mad…?" Ghetsis asked, the smug confidence partially scratched from his face as Hydreigon and Type: Full were fighting Zekrom and Reshiram behind him.

"…"

"… Ash… Why are you quiet all of a sudden…?" Ghetsis asked; his confidence was slowly beginning to fade, as his vile expression was beginning to show concern; Ash's lack of movement or any sign of emotion other than what he already had was beginning to get under Ghetsis' skin.

"…"

Ghetsis was getting concerned now; he wasn't feeling remorse or anything, so he thought perhaps Ash was getting the wrong impression. With that, he called for Type: Full's attention with a savage yell, as Type: Full moved to land on the ground and look towards Ash directly as it prepared to attack.

"…" Ash still persisted in remaining stoic; he didn't even flinch to Type: Full's intrusion on this little mind game, as Type: Full screeched aggressively towards Ash, only for it to come out as a whining noise of fright of Ash's unyielding lack of a response.

"What are you waiting for?! KILL HIM!" Ghetsis shouted towards Type: Full, as Type: Full still did not budge at all out of fear of what Ash could potentially react with; its mind was reeling in terms of what kind of response Ash would have, and its mind was malfunctioning trying to process Ghetsis' orders at this rate. Ghetsis, though, had enough as he quickly walked up to Type: Full and raised his foot to kick Type: Full across the room with his boot, as Ghetsis growled as he moved to grab his cane and move to strike the knocked over Type: Full with it…

… Just as Ash manifested in the way of Type: Full and Ghetsis, as Ghetsis gave Ash an incredibly hostile gaze, but Ash again still did not truly react to Ghetsis; he was just being defensive of Type: Full at this rate. Ghetsis growled as he looked over towards the unconscious N, as his eyes widened as he saw Ash standing there as well, simply glaring at Ghetsis all the while as Ghetsis noticed Ash was now in two places at once.

The feeling of eyes all over him at once, though, began to make Ghetsis increasingly anxious, though; what kind of powers did Ash have that made Ghetsis suddenly begin to feel inferior?

'I had every power under my command, and yet Ketchum shows more than I initially thought… WHY?!' Ghetsis thought to himself, as he looked over towards Hydreigon as it crash landed on the ground in a heap with Type: Full, as Ghetsis looked up towards Zekrom and Reshiram as his eyes widened even further.

Two more copies of Ash were mounted on the backs of Zekrom and Reshiram, and as Ghetsis looked around the room, on N's throne, no, Ghetsis' throne, sat another copy of Ash, and blocking the way out appeared to be three more copies of Ash all at once. Ghetsis suddenly was beginning to lose it as his eye twitched at the response of seeing so many Ash copies all at once; he couldn't even process whether N's Zoroark was playing a trick on him at this point; the visor on his damaged eye indicated that all of them were indeed real.

"How…?! How did you become this strong?!" Ghetsis growled as he spoke out angrily towards Ash in a fit of rage, as in both of his hands he moved to channel forth energy in a massive, alarming rate. As Ash picked up N and began to leave, Zekrom picked up Hydreigon and Type: Full and began to leave with the knocked out individuals here, as Ash didn't even bother to answer Ghetsis in the slightest. Reshiram, though, stayed behind as it glared down upon Ghetsis.

" **It's the truth you fail to see, Ghetsis; Ash is not afraid of you. Your powers are designed to strike fear in the hearts of many, and yet you have failed after so many years to strike Ash's soul with true fear."**  Reshiram's words spoke to Ghetsis, as Ghetsis glared at Reshiram only to see Reshiram having vanished into thin air, as when Ghetsis looked around, dropping the spheres of energy to the ground, Ghetsis could no longer see anything but pitch black darkness around him as he was all alone…

Or so he would've hoped, as he turned behind him to see a pitch black Pokémon with large arms, small legs, and prismatic eyes; Necrozma showed itself again as it simply glared down upon Ghetsis. Ghetsis' eyes widened as Necrozma began to brightly shine with light, as out from every fragment of Necrozma's body fired a storm of lasers that fired outwards and struck the walls and floors of N's Castle in a mass scale barrage.

"No… NO! This can't be real! How could I lose to such pathetic runts?!" Ghetsis said, as he suddenly lunged at Necrozma to try and do at least something to it; he and Necrozma both vanished into the darkness of the room, however, just as Ash carrying N was walking out of N's Castle as the building began to collapse. Zekrom, moving to set Hydreigon and Type: Full down in the colosseum where the bodies of multiple, dark colored creatures lay still, as Nanu was casually toying with a Beast Ball in his hands as he leaned on the near bored Martin, soon brightened up as he, alongside everyone else, looked upon Ash descending from the castle with N in tow.

"Ash, what the heck happened in there?" Drayden asked Ash, as Alder walked up towards Ash with N in his arms as Ash moved to set down N and look upon Alder with a formal bow of respect towards the champion of Unova.

"Don't you have a match we still need to get to, Ash Ketchum?" Alder asked Ash, as Ash looked towards N.

"What about him?" Ash asked out of concern, as the various Gym Leaders and Elite Four looked at each other, before all of them pointing towards Ash as Alder merely chuckled.

"Honestly, I think they speak for themselves; they deem you eligible to face me at this rate, so with that said..." Alder said as he had looked at everyone else to get repairs to the colosseum ready.

"Will you join me a week from now as we settle this Pokémon League once and for all; you and me, in a battle to determine who will become the Champion of Unova?"

**To Be Continued.**


	81. Chapter 80: The Champion of Unova

One week had passed since that fateful encounter. N had disappeared not long after having recovered from the injuries he had sustained; all the while Cheren and Bianca were spending time at home, alongside everyone else who participated in the Pokémon League up until that point in time. Ash was the only one still training for when the battle with Alder would take place, as well as him helping out with the various repairs to the colosseum that were needed as well.

Everyone had been cheering Ash on for his victory against Team Plasma; the group had seemingly vanished in what felt like an overnight change; no remaining sightings of Ghetsis persisted, the shadow triad up and vanished as per usual, and the various sages and grunts were all either gone or arrested during that weeks' time. Not even the most skilled of detectives could find what exactly happened to Ghetsis, if he even survived his encounter with Necrozma that is.

"Still think he's alive even after how long it has been?" Nanu asked Martin as he was overlooking the colosseum with Regulus, Mewtwo, and Raiga in tow, all the while handing Martin the Beast Balls containing UB Fog, and presumably others much like it including the oddly absent UB Templar.

"We worked hard on tracking down the Alter Beasts during the weeks' worth of renovations to the colosseum to prepare for Ash and Alder's challenge with each other. Needless the say I think we tracked down all of them." Mewtwo spoke up towards Martin as he simply stored the Beast Balls in his pockets as he nodded.

"At the very least did you clean up the mess that UB Fog left behind last week with all of those Grimm?" Martin asked, as Mewtwo and Regulus nodded.

"They were never there to begin with." Mewtwo assured Martin, as Martin sighed as he moved to show a device strapped to his left wrist as he opened up a wormhole right behind him.

"Well then, glad to hear that all is beginning to return to peace." Martin spoke up, as he moved to walk through the wormhole as he was just about to leave this universe altogether. Nanu casually waved bye to Martin, as did Regulus and Mewtwo as well, as Martin, as well as Raiga, walked through the wormhole and disappeared from this universe altogether.

"Well, that was typical as usual; remind me to bring my Pokémon for once next time with have a Class 5 initiative on our hands." Nanu said as he moved to leave altogether all the while getting a bit of a cocky grin.

"By the way, Regulus, why'd you even bother joining the Ambassadors anyways? Expecting a wish to be granted or something?" Nanu asked Regulus, as Mewtwo's eyes widened as it glanced down towards Regulus, who simply sported an equally cocky grin.

"Oh, don't you worry about that just yet; I'm more personally concerned as to whether or not Delia will think of it as something other than a Christmas miracle or not." Regulus said as he moved to jump off of the rocky trail and into the woods, as Mewtwo glanced back towards Nanu, then back at Regulus.

"Wait! Regulus!" Mewtwo spoke up, as it suddenly encased itself in a sphere of power before rushing off into the air as Mega Mewtwo Y. "What all did you wish for exactly?!" Mewtwo shouted after the Aura Pokémon, all the while Nanu realized now he was all alone on the rocky trail just in range of the colosseum. Nanu, realizing his current loneliness in the situation, simply made his grin all the more noticeable as he performed a gesture that wouldn't be too out of place for a Z-Move.

As he stopped himself upon hearing his Xtransceiver ring, Nanu sighed as his expression returned to his stoic self again, as he answered the Xtransceiver to see who was calling.

"Repairs are finished, Kahuna; are you intending on staying to watch the final battle between Ash and Alder?" Grimsley asked Nanu, all the while Nanu sighed.

"On one condition; is Caitlin going to share any of the snacks this time around?" Nanu asked, as Marshall simply chuckled from behind Grimsley.

"That would be best you ask her yourself I'm afraid." Marshall answered, as Nanu sighed.

"Whatever, just do me a favor for me and at the very least make sure I'm on time for the boat back to Alola, alright? I've got to inform Ash of the repairs being done and over with." Nanu said as he began to walk down the trail towards the southern end of the region of Unova.

_**Final Round: Ash VS Alder** _

"We are gathered here today to resume where we had left off the last time we were here a week ago. Unfortunately, N could not resume his challenge due to an unforeseen accident, but the Gym Leaders declared Ash will proceed to face Alder regardless as to not disrupt the Pokémon League any further. Alder, is there anything you would like to say to this?" The announcer asked Alder at the end, as the crowd was gather in a full house at the newly repaired colosseum, as Ash and Alder were at the opposite ends of the arena.

"Actually yes; for years I have been looking forward to retiring, but after what events had transpired, I would not imagine myself handing the title to N due to concerns for the safety of Unova at large; however, I knew very well I could put my title on Ash before me as he knows what it would be like to protect others all too well; I'd like everyone to give a large, round of applause to Ash as encouragement to the battle you all shall see before you!" Alder spoke up, as the crowd began to applaud and cheer for Ash upon being prompted to do so by their longtime Champion Alder.

"Without further delay, this battle will be a full 6v6 matchup; so don't let either of our Pokémon go to waste here, alright, Ash?" Alder spoke up, as Ash nodded.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Ash said, as both he and Alder proceeded to send out their first Pokémon; Whimsicott and Bouffalant respectively.

"Now, one last time now! Pokémon, GO!" Alder and Ash both called in unison, as Whimsicott started off first by stirring up a small whirlwind on her side of the field, as Bouffalant moved to charge head first into Whimsicott; the sheer, brute force of the afro maned buffalo upon Whimsicott's smaller body was enough to knock her out in a single shot, but Whimsicott's grin seemed to indicate she intended on this; Bouffalant had bruised itself quite a lot from the recoil of the attack, as Ash sent out his next Pokémon in the form of Krookodile.

Krookodile, taking the stage and proceeding to immediately caused the whole ground to tremble with an immense force of energy being summoned forth with Krookodile's immense stomping, he had caused the whole ground to collapse underneath Bouffalant with the various rocks colliding against it to knock out Bouffalant next not very long into Krookodile's turn into the fight.

With Alder calling Bouffalant back, Alder sent out Vanilluxe next, with Vanilluxe not even wasting time with summoning forth a blizzard upon the whole arena and using the sheer cold to take out Krookodile, but not before Krookodile summoned forth rocky spires to collide into Vanilluxe with an absurdly strong force, with the resulting attacks taking both Pokémon out for the count as Ash and Alder were reduced to four Pokémon each.

Alder responded first by sending out Druddigon as his next Pokémon, with Ash sending out Unfezant as his next Pokémon as well. Druddigon didn't waste time with jumping into the air, as Unfezant flew circles around it to try and knock Unfezant out of the air; while Unfezant was too quick to hit, Unfezant stopping in midair to manifest giant, astral wings before her to use Sky Attack with was about to give Druddigon the chance to hit her, before Unfezant immediately denied it by striking down with her wings and sending Druddigon plummeting to the ground, down and out for the count.

As Alder called back Druddigon, he was pleasantly pleased with how this battle was going to say. With Alder sending out Accelgor next, as Accelgor vanished with what appeared to be an immense blur as it moved to manifest in the air just above Unfezant and unleashing Hyper Beam upon her at point blank; knocking her out in the process and once again leaving both combatants with an equal number of Pokémon remaining.

In response to this, Ash sent out Samurott as his next Pokémon, as Accelgor hurled a ball of grassy energy towards Samurott in a quick haste, as Ash's Samurott threw both of his seamitars out in a whirlpool-like fashion to deflect the ball back at Accelgor; as Accelgor tried again to strike with Energy Ball, Samurott simply responded with an immense, sudden bolt of Ice Beam from his mouth which pierced right through the attack and froze Accelgor solid and upon hitting the ground from high above, was knocked out due to the immense force of the landing combined with the ice cracking around itself upon doing so.

Alder called back Accelgor, as next he had sent out Escavalier as his second to last Pokémon; the armored Bug Type didn't waste time with Samurott, and manifesting an intense, powerful aura around itself, moved to charge forward and tackle Samurott with an incredible blunt force that knocked Samurott back towards Ash's side and knocked him out of the fight. Ash called back Samurott, as he sent out Raichu next as the same type of aura flared to life around Raichu in response.

Raichu, flying up into the air on his tail, steadied itself as he suddenly propelled himself towards Escavalier, as the Bug/Steel Type Pokémon as struck with an immense surge of electricity all at once that knocked it out, as Raichu flew back over towards Ash's side of the field, as Alder called back Escavalier with only one Pokémon remaining now.

"I see you're quite confident with your training, Ash; I've been told by one of the challengers, Tera, that she would like to meet you in Lacunosa Town later today if you're in that much of a hurry. Regardless, I still accept you fully as the Champion of Unova… but you still have one Pokémon to take out first! Volcarona, it's time to shine!" Alder called as he sent out his trump card in the form of Volcarona; a fiery, six winged moth with blue eyes and an abundance of white, fur-like covering.

Ash responded to Volcarona's presence with Raichu proceeding to summon forth a massive bolt of electrical to strike down Volcarona, but unlike all of Alder's other Pokémon, it didn't even look remotely fazed by the attack and took it without effort; this was without a doubt Alder's strongest Pokémon. Volcarona, in response to Raichu's attack, simply did a twirl as it quivered with its wings as its own abilities immensely increased in response to its boost it gave itself with its little dance.

As Raichu moved again to summon forth a powerful bolt of electrical down upon Volcarona, Volcarona yet again took the attack as it basked itself in the morning sun as it healed itself of its injuries near immediately. Raichu looked shocked to say the least, as Volcarona let out a sharp, deep rumbling of a buzzing noise with its wings as it summoned forth a wave of energy that collided with Raichu and took him out in a single shot, forcing Ash to call back Raichu once Raichu was unable to battle further.

"I see you're cleverer than you let yourself on to be, Alder; perhaps now I can show you what it truly means for me as an Aura Guardian! Altair, the finale is yours!" Ash called, as Altair was sent out of his Poké Ball, as Altair was suddenly charging himself with aura as Ash proceeded to do a gesture a second time and concentrating with his mind and outward pointed palm towards Altair, as an immense amount of aura was manifested and propelled into Altair's body all at once, the sheer force of the energy forcing Ash to keel over in exhaustion as Altair was supercharged with an immense amount of aura and heartsoul energy pouring into him from within or from other sources as Altair let out an ungodly howl of pure power and rage.

Suddenly jumping up into the air against Volcarona and proceeding to knee Volcarona in its chest region, as Volcarona feel backwards before suddenly being forced to take a supercharged Aura Storm at point blank from Altair all at once; the force of which propelled Altair all the way towards the opposite side of the colosseum's tallest structure, as Altair suddenly rushed forward through the air at immense speed toward Volcarona, all the while letting loose an immense howl as he propelled himself forward and suddenly struck Volcarona in the head with an immense force of a single, well placed punch which caused an immense explosion in the entire arena.

The audience went quiet, as everyone was in shock as to Altair's improvised Z-Move, as the announcer was too busy waiting for the dust to clear before she spoke up any further, as the dust did indeed begin to set as Volcarona still looked like it had energy to continue the fight despite the immense onslaught from Altair… only to quickly keel over onto the ground just as soon as it became too exhausted to stay hovering in the air and passed out. Altair, in turn, ended up falling over unconscious as Ash moved to try and stand on his own with Alder walking up to Ash after calling back Volcarona.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Alder said, as he held out a hand for Ash to take as Ash himself was coughing dryly as to the sheer amount of aura he had used which drained him all at once.

"Alder is out of usable Pokémon! The winner and new Champion of Unova is Ash Ketchum of Nuvema Town!" The announcer spoke up, as the audience began to cheer Ash's name, as Ash came to his senses to notice he had won the fight, with all of his Pokémon suddenly leaving their Poké Balls to grab hold of Ash in a tight embrace, as Altair, rushed up towards Ash and grabbed him the tightest of the six, as Ash began to chuckle a bit as to his Pokémon's sudden show of affection.

"I'm actually rather pleased you had finally beaten me, Ash Ketchum." Alder said as he moved to leave the stage, as the announcer walked out into view as did some cameramen, but thankfully not too many, to take photographs of Ash with his Pokémon to memorialize this moment for all in the future to know about Ash's victory in the Pokémon League here today.

Ash was grinning like a gleeful child as he was being photographed, as he watched as the announcer walked up to him with a microphone to ask Ash some questions.

"Now then, Ash Ketchum, what do you intend to do now that you're the Champion of Unova?" Ash said, as he looked behind the announcer to notice Tera ominously standing in view.

 _((I came here from Lacunosa Town to greet you again after the last time we talked, Ash; you might remember me from Driftveil City, but I never expected you to make it this far in the slightest.))_  Tera said to Ash.

 _((It's good to see you again, what did you want from me to do?))_  Ash asked of Tera, as Tera simply smiled a bit as she looked at Ash calmly.

 _((An old family friend is waiting to challenge you at Giant Chasm. I suggest you don't leave him or Delia waiting.))_  Tera said to Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Alright, so now that I'm the Champion of Unova, there is still one last thing for me to do in all of this before I return home for the holidays in peace…"

_**Later that evening, Giant Chasm…** _

As Ash walked through the snowy forest of the icy cold, Giant Chasm from which Vahirom was described as first arriving to this world from, Ash looked around at the forest before him as the snowy weather was beginning to pick up more wildly.

" **Ash, are you sure we'll be alright here? I've heard nasty rumors about a monster who lurks here later in the day like now…"**  Altair asked Ash, as Ash nodded.

"Relax, Altair; I don't think any mere monster of a Pokémon is going to be a problem for us to handle." Ash told Altair to try and have him calm down as to the situation at large.

 _((Ash…?))_  A quiet voice suddenly spoke up; Ash listened in on it rather well, and the aura he could see upon closing his eyes was much like his own, except as pure blue as you imagine. Ash was confused, though, as the person seemed to be actively using aura to contact Ash in the middle of this wilderness area of Unova.

 _((Grandson? Is that you?))_  Arcturus' voice suddenly spoke up, as Altair's senses suddenly got clued in on something as he rushed forward with extremely fast speed to seek out the voice he had heard, as Ash quickly ran to follow Altair, although not being as fast as Altair was.

Jumping over some large rifts in the terrain, and climbing up some large rocks as Ash looked to find the source of the two voices, Ash was greeted with the roar of Vahirom not far away; Zekrom and Reshiram must've fused into one again, but as Ash couldn't notice N's aura anywhere at all, he had wondered how exactly the two Legendary Pokémon had fused into one again.

Once he found himself at the epicenter of the cavern as Altair stood gawking at a lone, robed figure with a large abundance of hair on his head and obscured face, Ash slowly walked towards the figure as he noticed the figure looked all too real, all the while Vahirom moved to land on the ground beside him.

"Vahirom wishes to challenge you again for rightful ownership, Ash; it believes you and you alone are worthy of its true power, which is why I had brought it here to seek out its missing component to fuse all into the true Vahirom you see before you." The man spoke, as he raised his head to look Ash in the eyes as Ash's eyes widened in shock as to who he was seeing before him.

"S-Sirius…?!"

**To Be Concluded.**


	82. Epilogue: An Idealistic Evening

_Everyone had come so far. Everyone I knew had come so far, people and Pokémon alike; I knew that feeling all too well after becoming the Champion of Unova._

_"Alright, Altair, you're up!" I called upon Altair to face the daunting Mythical Pokémon that was Vahirom. Vahirom didn't do much aside from brace itself for an incoming attack, I meanwhile channeled aura through my veins and allowed them to flow through me out towards Altair much like before._

_Everything was all beginning to come together after all of these years; every pain, every sorrow I've had, all ditched away in favor of this final moment in the beginning of my journey. It had been fun to be traveling for so long, but even every story has to come to an end._

_" **AURA STORM!"**  Altair shouted as boldly as he could, as he fired the aura amplified ray of energy out towards Vahirom, as Vahirom, despite taking the hit, could feel its armor begin to degrade from how powerful Altair had become over time. Altair, having jumped back to the furthest away cliff, having used Aura Storm to propel him that far, suddenly rushed forward with an intense surge of energy surrounding him for the decisive blow._

_Upon the impact being made with Altair's fist against Vahirom's head, Vahirom could be felt falling to the ground as I prepared a Poké Ball to hurl towards Vahirom; a Cherish Ball, to be specific, as I threw it at the knocked out Vahirom and proceeded to watch as it was drawn into the Cherish Ball as any other Pokémon would be to such devices, as it fell to the ground and began to shake as normal._

_One shake, two shakes, three shakes… *click*_

_Every time I had heard that sound in my journey with the various Pokémon I had caught and had under my wing, even if only briefly, could be recalled each time by those sounds a Poké Ball made when you first caught a Pokémon and each other time after that._

_As I moved to collect the Poké Ball and store it beside my belt, I looked upon Sirius as I noticed his calm, happy demeanor as he looked overjoyed yet stoic about the situation. I can't believe he's actually here after so many years of thinking he may have been gone for good._

_"Come on now, Ash; let us go home and see your mother…" Sirius told me, as I called out Vahirom in response as Altair was brought back into his Poké Ball as Sirius and myself jumped onto Vahirom's back as we took off into the evening sky._

_As we flew through the air, Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus flew alongside us, as on the ground we could both see Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo all following Vahirom with an air of honor and respect towards the Infinite Gray Mythical Pokémon. I could understand why all of them had such respect for Vahirom, truly I could._

_As we landed at Nuvema Town, the Legendary Pokémon had dispersed and left for elsewhere in Unova, all the while Vahirom landed in front of our house as I called Vahirom back as dad and I stepped in front of the house and knocked on the door._

_"Mom, we're home." I called, as soon enough, I heard my mother appear at the door as she initially looked confused as to who was beside me; the realization hit her like a ton of bricks, as her eyes widened as she covered her mouth and looked ready to cry at any moment. As I moved to embrace her, as Sirius embraced us both in response, Delia was equally embracing the two of us as she cried into Delia's chest as one hand affectionately held Sirius' head close to her, all the while the other ruffled my hair a bit happily._

_"I'm glad to see our family reunited after so long…" Dad said, as he looked over towards mom as the three of us began to calm down and head inside as the sun was beginning to set. I simply had one thing to ask, considering it appeared my mom hadn't decided to cook dinner yet._

_"So, who wants to have some pancakes?" I asked, as Raichu suddenly emerged from his Poké Ball and happily called out in joy, as my mom and dad both began to happily laugh, as did I in return._

_My mom is the happiest I've ever seen her in such a very long time, and I'm happy that while my journey for now has come to an end, that everything I had truly desired to see from myself and others have come true; everyone is happy with the results of our journey together, and I wish that the peace that ensues will remain the same as well._

**End.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Wow. I can't believe I did it; I actually managed to live up to my promise of meeting this deadline after so long. I can't believe that at above 250K words, Truth and Ideals is finally my first ever completed story on any site I've ever gone to. I'd like to give a special thanks to all of my audience on the sites I have posted this fan fic to, and for everyone who has supported me over the past three years of the writing of this story. Thank you all so much.


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